[Edaily Reporter An Yu-ri ] Song Kyung-hee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, met with the chief executive officers (CEOs) of the three major telecommunications companies— SKTelecom(017670), KTCorporation(030200), and LG Uplus(032640) —at the Korea Press Center on the 28th. This marks the first time that representatives from telecommunications companies have met with the Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, and it is the first official meeting between the Commission and the CEOs of the telecommunications sector since Chairperson Song took office.

This meeting was organized to share perspectives on personal information protection with the CEOs of the three telecommunications companies and to discuss practical measures for policy cooperation.

In her opening remarks before the meeting, Chairwoman Song Kyung-hee stated, “Protecting personal information in the telecommunications sector is about safeguarding the public’s daily lives and maintaining trust in the digital society.” She noted, “The recent spate of personal information leaks is a matter that both the government and companies must take very seriously,” and emphasized, “We must shift to a prevention-focused protection system that identifies risks in advance and responds proactively before incidents occur.”

She also urged, “Personal information protection is no longer the responsibility of a single department; it must become a core management priority that CEOs personally oversee and for which the entire company shares responsibility.”

Prior to the roundtable, the three major telecommunications companies issued a “Joint Declaration for an AI and Digital Society Trusted by the Public.”

Through this joint declaration, the three telecom companies pledged to: △make personal information protection the company’s top management priority; △establish accountability-based governance centered on CEOs and boards of directors; △effectively expand investment in personal information protection and increase the number of specialized personnel; △embed personal information protection into the development and operation of AI services while ensuring transparency and accountability; and △expand the development of Personal Information Protection Technologies (PET).

During the subsequent roundtable discussion, participants engaged in a wide-ranging discussion on various agenda items, including: △overhauling internal controls and establishing a preventive protection system to prevent recurrence of data breaches; △systematic management of the entire telecommunications distribution network; △support for training talent in personal information protection; and △establishing a public-private cooperation system to address personal information issues.

The Personal Information Protection Commission urged the three major telecommunications companies to make every effort to conduct intensive self-inspections and provide thorough training for personnel handling personal information by the end of the year, given the sharp increase in data breach incidents. Furthermore, the Commission requested that telecommunications companies take a responsible stance and strengthen management and supervision across the entire telecommunications distribution network, as the complex distribution structure—which involves telecommunications companies, agents, and retail outlets—may lead to vulnerabilities in how retail outlets manage personal information.

The three telecommunications companies agreed to actively cooperate with the government in training specialists in personal information protection and cybersecurity through initiatives such as the development of Personal Information Protection Enhancement (PET) technologies and the recruitment of students for contract-based academic programs.

There were also suggestions to establish a prior consultation system to ensure the effective operation of the AI special provisions, which were introduced to support the development of safe AI technologies. The Personal Information Protection Commission responded that it is currently developing practical operational measures to ensure the AI special provisions system provides tangible support to data-driven research environments and that it will continue to solicit feedback throughout the implementation process.

Additionally, there were opinions that existing legal grounds for data processing—such as public information, pseudonymized information, and legitimate interests—need to be clarified and improved in the context of AI development. Regarding the suggestion that guidelines for AI agents reflecting corporate processing practices are needed, the PIPC stated that it is preparing institutional innovation measures and plans to finalize the “Tentative Guide to Personal Information Processing by Agent-Based AI” within the year.

Chairwoman Song Kyung-hee said, “I hope today’s joint declaration by the CEOs of the three major telecommunications companies will lead to tangible changes and improvements on the ground,” adding, “I urge you to fulfill your responsibilities so that today’s meeting can serve as an opportunity to further raise the level of protection in the telecommunications sector and restore public trust.”