Over 50,000 KT users switch mobile carriers in 4 days after penalty waiver

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Over 50,000 KT users switch mobile carriers in 4 days after penalty waiver

Published: 04 Jan. 2026, 12:54 Updated: 04 Jan. 2026, 16:25

A KT store is seen in Seoul on Jan. 1. [NEWS1]

More than 50,000 customers of KT, 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 Friday.

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.

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 left following KT's hacking incident last year, prompting some former users to return.

Yonhap