SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has offered a public apology for a major hacking incident that compromised SIM data at SK Telecom and vowed his best efforts to resolve the problems. 

Chey apologized for the concerns and inconvenience caused by the recent cyberattack at SK Telecom in a press conference on Wednesday, 19 days after the hacking incident. 

The chairman said the company inconvenienced many customers who visited its stores and waited in long lines despite their busy schedules to have their SIM cards replaced, or who felt anxious before traveling abroad.

Chey also expressed regret over the lack of communication after the incident, saying the entire management team is reflecting on it with great remorse, including him.

He added that he will humbly accept criticism from customers, as well as from the National Assembly and government agencies. 

Vowing to get to the bottom of the incident, Chey announced plans to establish an innovation committee on security and information protection composed of experts tasked with finding ways to improve.