[The Chosun Ilbo, October 9 2007] Leak Prompts Argument on Value of Personal Information

A debate has flared over the value of personal information. Netizens have been swapping conflicting opinions about compensation from SK Telecom for people whose personal information was leaked on the Internet.

On Sept. 18, the private information of 2,500 people was made public on Tossi, SK Telecom's mobile phone and Internet blogging website. Tossi's administration page, which should have been locked, was accidentally left open for several hours. The mistake allowed the private information of bloggers, including their names, mobile phone numbers and blog addresses, to be accessed. SK Telecom admitted its mistake and sent gift certificates worth W70,000 (US$1=W916) to each of the victims, for a total of W175 million.