The Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission under the Korea Consumer Agency said Sunday that it reached the decision at a dispute meeting held on Dec. 18.
"Based on the findings of a joint public-private investigation released in July and the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC)'s actions in August, it has been confirmed that the SK Telecom hacking incident resulted in the leakage of personal data and consumer harm," the committee said, adding that it had also confirmed the company's responsibility to compensate affected consumers.
Under the decision, each applicant is to receive a 50,000-won discount on phone bills and 50,000 T-Plus points, which can be used like cash at affiliated stores.
The decision followed a request filed in May by 58 consumers, who said their personal information had been exposed in a data breach involving SK Telecom's Home Subscriber Server and sought compensation and measures to prevent a recurrence.
If SK Telecom accepts it, the committee plans to require the company to extend compensation to victims who did not participate in the mediation process.
The total number of affected users is estimated at about 23 million, which would bring the overall compensation amount to approximately 2.3 trillion won if all victims receive the same payment.
SK Telecom must inform the panel within 15 days of receipt whether it accepts the ruling.
The commission's chairman said the compensation plan was designed to ensure swift recovery for a large number of consumers while taking into account the company's efforts to restore trust through voluntary compensation. He added that recent data breaches underscore the need for stronger technical and institutional safeguards to prevent similar incidents.
SK Telecom said it will "carefully review the details and make a prudent decision" regarding the mediation proposal.
The company declined a separate PIPC proposal last month that called for 300,000 won per person, citing its voluntary compensation and information security spending totaling more than 1 trillion won.
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