Last year’s compensation for executives at South Korea’s major mobile carriers has been disclosed. Even after an unprecedented hacking incident that drew harsh public criticism, their pay packages were largely preserved, prompting backlash.
According to filings on March 23 on the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System (DART), Jung Jae-heon, president of SK Telecom, received 2.079 billion won last year. His package consisted of 1.067 billion won in salary, a 1 billion won bonus, and 12 million won in other employment income. Until he was appointed the new chief executive officer (CEO) last October, Jung had served as Chief Governance Officer (CGO).
Former president Yoo Young-sang was granted compensation of 3.407 billion won. This included 1.54 billion won in salary, 1.82 billion won in bonuses, and 47 million won in other employment income. The amount increased by nearly 400 million won from the previous year. SK Telecom explained that the pay was calculated based on its 2024 performance, before the hacking incident occurred.
![Kim Young-sub, president of KT. [KT]](https://i0.wp.com/nationalcybersecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/news-p.v1.20260323.b00b90286cfd48719895f7ae81d7fa3c_P1.png?w=1150&ssl=1)
Kim Young-sub, president of KT whose term is about to expire, received 1.718 billion won last year. The package included 556 million won in salary, 1.151 billion won in bonuses, and 11 million won in other employment income. His performance bonus more than tripled from 332 million won a year earlier, pushing up his overall compensation level.
However, his performance evaluation was weak. The board of directors gave last year’s management performance a score of 87.18 points. That was a sharp drop from 99.90 points the previous year. Because bonuses are calculated based on the prior year’s results, there appears to be a gap between the performance assessment and the bonus payout.
At LG Uplus, president Hong Beom-sik’s compensation came to 1.439 billion won. Specifically, from January to March last year he received a monthly base salary of 65 million won and a position allowance of 52 million won, and from April to December he was paid a monthly base salary of 67 million won and a position allowance of 54 million won. No bonus was paid.
Former president Hwang Hyun-sik took home 5.747 billion won. His package consisted of 644 million won in salary, 643 million won in bonuses, and 4.452 billion won in severance pay. Thanks to the overwhelming share of severance, he claimed the title of top earner among telecom executives.
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
