[Digital Today reporter Jin-ho Lee (이진호)] SK Telecom said on Saturday it will run a promotion to find owners for 10,000 gold numbers.

Gold numbers refer to numbers with specific patterns such as 1111, 0002 and 3000, numbers that are the same as the exchange (ABCD-ABCD, ABAB-ABAB and others), and numbers with particular meanings such as 1004 and 1472. SKT will provide a chance to own a total of 10,000 gold numbers through a lottery draw.

According to SKT, the most popular gold numbers are the 'ABCD-ABCD' type, in which the exchange and the last digits are the same, and the 'AAAA' type, in which the last digits are the same. Existing SKT customers, prospective new subscribers and customers of other carriers and budget operators who plan to switch numbers can all apply for this gold number promotion. Customers already using a gold number or with a record of obtaining a gold number in a previous year cannot apply.

There are 9 types of gold numbers available to apply for this time. Each person can apply for up to 3. Applications can be submitted from Sunday to June 21 through SKT officially authorised agencies and T Direct.

The draw results can be checked from June 25. To ensure fairness, the lottery will be conducted through a random drawing method in the presence of a preferred-number lottery committee made up of government and related institutions, including the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA).

Winners will receive a text message with individual guidance. To use the winning number, customers must complete the registration process at an SKT officially authorised agency or the T Direct shop from June 29 to July 17. The winning gold number cannot be transferred to another person.