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SK Telecom using both curated data and in-person visits to personalize customer experiences

Published: 18 Mar. 2026, 18:24 Updated: 18 Mar. 2026, 18:27

An SK Telecom retail store in Jongno District, central Seoul, is seen in this undated file photo. [NEWS1]

SK Telecom (SKT) is set to build a data curation system with the goal of sharpening personalized customer experiences by reorganizing scattered in-house customer data into a form that AI can use directly.

At a briefing held at Ferrum Tower in Jung District, central Seoul, on Wednesday, SKT unveiled online and offline plans aimed at rebuilding customer trust. A key initiative is the creation of a data-based, AI-centered customer experience system.

To that end, the company began data curation work in early 2025. Data curation is the process of selecting and refining different types of data and structuring them into a format that can be used for AI training.

“Securing high-quality data, known as a golden dataset, is important in providing personalized and tailored services in the AI era,” said Lee Hye-yeon, head of SKT’s Customer Value Innovation Office. “Some describe it as putting eyes on a doll, and we have begun data labeling, the initial stage of curation.”

Data labeling refers to attaching tags to data.

“Labeling is often outsourced to developing countries or handled by AI,” Lee said. “But we chose to have our own employees process the data from beginning to end.”

The approach is intended to block leaks of customer information while advancing customer experience through AI-based personalized recommendations and product improvements, the company said.

Customers participate in SK Telecom’s visiting service program. [SK TELECOM]

Offline, SKT plans to focus on field-based communication with customers. It will expand its visiting service program, which it has been pushing since a hacking incident in 2025.

Since February, the company has visited six locations, including Jinan County in North Jeolla and Hwacheon County in Gangwon. It plans to expand the program to 71 counties nationwide where older residents account for more than 30 percent of the population. The service offers security education and consultations on telecom, AI and mobile phone repairs.

SKT has been focusing on restoring customer trust, including creating a customer experience organization under its Customer Value Innovation Office at the end of 2025.

“After a series of incidents including hacking, we realized we were falling apart,” SKT CEO Jung Jai-hun said at his first press conference after taking office on March 1. “We will return to basics and put customers at the center of our business.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY EO HWAN-HEE [[email protected]]