Hong Beom-sik (홍범식), CEO of LG Uplus, stressed that he would take appropriate responsibility if it is confirmed the company deliberately concealed hacking or obstructed an investigation. He avoided giving a definitive answer on whether to waive early termination fees for customers switching carriers, saying he would follow the judgment of judicial authorities and government guidelines.

Hong made the remarks on Oct. 23 at a parliamentary audit of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, answering questions from ruling and opposition lawmakers about user protection measures tied to allegations of a hacking cover-up. LG Uplus is under police investigation over allegations that it concealed evidence of a hacking incident last year by discarding servers and reinstalling operating systems.

Lee Hoon-gi (이훈기), a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, asked whether the company would waive early termination fees for switching carriers if a deliberate cover-up is confirmed.

Hong replied, "I am deeply sorry for causing inconvenience," and said, "Depending on the judgment of judicial authorities, we will do everything we can to protect customers and users."

Cho Kyung-tae (조경태), a lawmaker from the People Power Party, also said early termination fees should be waived if deliberate concealment or obstruction is confirmed. Hong said the company is currently under investigation and added, "If the judgment of judicial authorities comes out and there are government guidelines, we will take appropriate responsibility in line with them."

When Cho again asked, "If it was deliberate concealment, isn't it the company's responsibility?" Hong replied, "If everything is judged to be true, we will take appropriate responsibility."

Cho said security incidents can occur, but deliberately hiding the fact of an incident is a different issue. He stressed that if deliberate concealment or obstruction is confirmed, there should be practical measures to remedy user 피해, including waiving early termination fees.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon (배경훈) said, "We will take measures depending on the extent of the investigation and the extent of responsibility." He also said that if deliberate obstruction of the investigation is confirmed, responsibility lies with the company.

Han Jun-ho (한준호), a Democratic Party lawmaker, also demanded a clear position from LG Uplus on waiving early termination fees. Han asked whether the company would waive fees, saying users are in a situation where they must pay termination fees even if they want to cancel out of anxiety.

Hong said, "If the judgment of judicial authorities comes out, I promise we will proceed to the best of our ability. We will fully fulfill our responsibility in a way that matches all responsibilities."

The audit also saw continued controversy over LG Uplus' measures to preserve evidence related to the hacking. Han pressed Hong Kwan-hee (홍관희), LG Uplus' chief information security officer, on the evidence preservation issue.

Hong, the CISO, responded to criticism that the evidence preservation measures were inadequate by saying, "I would like to say I am sorry."

Seo Cheon-ho (서천호), a People Power Party lawmaker, also took issue with LG Uplus promoting the 'very excellent' grade it received in a user protection work evaluation.

The evaluation covered 2024 performance, so allegations related to the 2025 security incident were not reflected. Even so, LG Uplus has promoted the 'very excellent' grade, which it alone received among the three mobile carriers, through press releases and sustainability reports.

Hong replied, "We did not check it closely," and said, "We will improve it."