[The Chosun Ilbo, March 7 2008] Gov't Insiders May Lose Exclusive Calling Prefix

Some Koreans are curious about why their new president will use a 017 cell phone prefix when making mobile calls to businessmen and others outside Cheong Wa Dae.

The prefix, formerly used by Shinsegi Telecom, which was merged into SK Telecom in 2002, is somewhat unexpected given that all new mobile subscribers today use a number with a 010 prefix.

It's because Cheong Wa Dae in the late 1990s purchased a number of cell phone numbers for its staff from Shinsegi Telecom.

As the mobile operator built many of its base stations near military bases, the police, the military and other agents of the country used to subscribe to the operator, a telecommunications industry official said. The president's mobile phone number was also purchased in those days.