This photo, taken Feb. 26, 2020, shows SK Telecom Co.’s headquarters in Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 25 (Korea Bizwire) — Ahead of SK Telecom Co.’s termination of 2G service, the company’s 2G customers with mobile phone numbers starting with 011 or 017 lost a lawsuit for protection of their mobile phone numbers in a civil court of appeal.
According to industry sources on Wednesday, the Seoul High Court ruled against the suit filed by South Korea’s top mobile carrier’s 633 customers who are members of the “010 Integration Opposition Movement Headquarters.”
Prior to this ruling, the members of the 010 Integration Opposition Movement Headquarters lost in the suit they filed in the Seoul Central District Court to keep using their 01X mobile phone numbers in May 2019.
SK Telecom’s 2G customers asked the court to allow them to switch to 3G-plus mobile services while keeping their 01X phone numbers.
The court, however, ruled that the plaintiffs have no concrete stake in this dispute since mobile phone numbers are a limited national resource and the government has discretion on number portability policy.
The ruling suggests a legal interpretation that SK Telecom’s 2G users are not allowed to continue to use their 01X mobile phone numbers not because the company is terminating its 2G service, but because the government has implemented the ‘010 number integration policy’ under the Electronic Communication Business Law.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
