[Edaily Reporter An Yu-ri ] Song Kyung-hee, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission, used her first meeting with the chief executive officers (CEOs) of the three major telecommunications companies as an opportunity to state, “We will strengthen communication with the industry,” opening the door to potential follow-up consultations with other sectors. The aim is to incorporate feedback from the field into policies in line with legislative amendments that strengthen personal information protection responsibilities and the spread of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

After meeting with the CEOs of the three major telecommunications companies on the 28th, Chairwoman Song told reporters, “Our position has been to communicate in a manner that suits the industry, and the meeting with the CEOs of the three telecommunications companies was arranged with that in mind.” She added, “As this is a time when all industries must strengthen personal information protection, we plan to engage in active communication with the industry.”

Chairwoman Song met with Jeong Jae-heon, CEO of SKTelecom(017670); Park Yoon-young, CEO of KTCorporation(030200); and Hong Beom-sik, CEO of LG Uplus(032640), at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, to discuss measures to strengthen personal information protection. The meeting began with public opening remarks from each attendee, followed by a closed-door session.

The three telecom companies announced their policy to assess personal information risks from the planning stage of artificial intelligence (AI) services and to prevent incidents in advance through large-scale investments in information security and a CEO-led management system.

Chairman Song described the meeting as “a very meaningful gathering where the telecom companies demonstrated their commitment to further strengthening personal information protection.”

He explained, “There have been some instances where the three telecom companies utilized data to develop services aimed at preventing voice phishing, and we discussed how to collaborate to create more such positive examples.” He added, “The most important point was how to increase investment and which areas need further strengthening to regain public trust. We talked quite a bit about that.”

When asked during the roundtable whether there had been any discussion regarding fines, Chairman Song replied, “There was no such discussion.” He explained, “They directly stated that the three telecom companies would make significant investments, and they also mentioned the challenges posed by the rapid advancement of AI (hacking technology).”

Chairman Song noted that the authorities had already announced criteria for reducing fines based on investment, which apply when companies faithfully implement basic protective measures and make substantial investments, and that he had introduced these criteria.

The telecommunications industry also conveyed the on-site burden of having to ensure both security measures and service stability in an environment where outdated systems and the latest technologies operate side by side. A shortage of specialized information security personnel was also cited as a common challenge.

The Personal Information Protection Commission plans to continue conducting inspections and maintaining communication to restore public trust while reviewing companies’ preventive investments and improvement efforts. Based on dialogue with the industry, the Commission also plans to concurrently establish detailed guidelines related to the AI special provisions system. A tentatively titled “Guide to Personal Information Processing for Agentic AI” is also scheduled to be finalized by the end of the year.

Lee Sang-min, Director General of the PIPC, stated, “We are working to specify what the enhanced safety measures entail and what the risk assessment entails,” adding, “We intend to continue communicating with the industry, including telecommunications companies.”