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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] Seoul – KT Corp. is under scrutiny after allegations surfaced that the company destroyed a server linked to a suspected hacking incident shortly after being notified by regulators.
On September 5, Choi Min-hee, Chair of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee and a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, revealed that KT disposed of its remote customer service system server following a hacking alert issued by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA).
According to documents submitted by KISA to Choi’s office, KT had originally planned to decommission its outdated remote consultation system servers after July 21, 2024. However, the timeline was accelerated: after KISA notified KT of the hacking suspicion on July 19, the company disposed of the servers on August 1. KT had initially intended to run the old on-premise system in parallel with a new subscription-based solution for 1–2 months before phasing it out.
A KT spokesperson explained: “We began pilot parallel operations earlier this year. Given the strong performance and smooth service delivery of the new system, we decided to proceed with the transition swiftly.”
Nevertheless, Chairwoman Choi raised concerns that KT may have deliberately destroyed evidence following KISA’s notice. The disposal has reportedly hindered KISA’s investigation into the suspected breach. Choi stressed: “The Ministry of Science and ICT must thoroughly investigate not only the hacking incident but also suspicions of evidence destruction by KT.”
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
