[DigitalToday reporter Jin-ho Lee (이진호)] LG Uplus will allocate 10,000 preferred mobile phone numbers, including "1111", "7777" and "1004", through a public draw.

LG Uplus said on Sept. 15 it will take applications for preferred numbers from Sept. 16 to 29 via its website and the U+ONE app.

Eligible numbers fall into 9 types: AAAA, 000A, 00AA, AA00, ABAB, A000, ABCD, ABCD-ABCD, and numbers with specific meanings. They include repeated digits such as "1111" and "7777", sequential numbers such as "1234", and "1004", which carries meaning through pronunciation or combinations of digits.

Preferred numbers were previously called "gold numbers". They are categorized as repeating, symmetrical, sequential and specific-meaning types. Applicants can choose and apply for a desired number from those disclosed. After applications close, a computerized draw will be conducted in the presence of officials from the preferred-number draw committee made up of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA), among others.

The draw results will be announced on Oct. 8. Winners can visit LG Uplus stores within a set period to register the number in their own name. Users of other carriers can also apply, and can use the number if they switch to LG Uplus after winning. Budget-phone users on the LG Uplus network can change their number through their budget-phone operator.

Last year, 29,905 people took part in LG Uplus' preferred-number draw and 3,540 won. The average competition rate was about 8.5 to 1. Among the winning numbers, 1,107 cases led to actual registration. Of these, 57.9 percent, or 641 cases, were customers who switched from other carriers to LG Uplus.