Seoul, Jan 4 More than 50,000 customers of KT Corp., South Korea's second-largest mobile carrier, have canceled their subscriptions after the telecom company began waiving early termination penalties following a major data breach, industry sources said.
According to the sources, 52,661 KT users moved to rival carriers between Wednesday and Saturday. More than 70 percent of them switched to SK Telecom Co, reports Yonhap news agency.
On Saturday alone, 21,027 people left KT, including 13,616 who opted for SK Telecom, the sources said.
SK Telecom, the No. 1 mobile carrier, has been moving swiftly to attract KT customers, including those who previously left the company following its own hacking incident last year, prompting some former users to return.
Meanwhile, the head of KT Corp on Friday urged employees to step up efforts to restore customer trust and remain vigilant against potential cyber risks across all areas of the telecom company.
"Not only traditional information technology (IT) domains or specific departments but every routine task we perform -- from networking and marketing to customer service -- is now a potential target for attacks and must be protected," Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kim Young-shub said in his New Year's message, referring to a major data breach reported in September that led to a series of unauthorised micro-payments.
"Without this shift in awareness, we cannot defend against increasingly sophisticated security threats," he said.
Kim called on employees to unite in restoring customer trust while outlining the company's longer-term growth strategy centred on artificial intelligence (AI).
He said KT will prioritise strengthening its AI transformation capabilities and aims to position itself as a leading global AI partner.
"If we continue to enhance our AI transformation capabilities and pursue bold innovation and challenges, we can sustain our growth as a premier AI transformation partner recognised by customers and the market," Kim said.
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