Gigi Onag, Senior Editor, APAC, Light Reading
July, 2025
LG Uplus follows in the footsteps of rivals, SKT and KT, who have announced major cybersecurity investments through 2030.
LG Uplus will invest 700 billion Korean won (US$505 million) over the next five years to fortify its network security, following in the footsteps of its two rivals – SK Telecom (SKT) and KT Corporation – who recently announced major cybersecurity investments through 2030.
On Tuesday, Hong Kwan-hee, chief information security officer of LG Uplus, told local media at a press conference in Seoul that the company expects to spend between KRW120 billion ($86.57 million) and KRW140 billion ($101 million) on cybersecurity in 2025.
He added that LG Uplus plans to invest at least KRW120 billion to KRW150 billion ($108.21 million) each year for the next few years.
“LG Uplus has recognized the importance of cybersecurity earlier than any other company in South Korea and has systematically improved its security levels step by step,” said Hong, as quoted by the Yonhap News Agency. “We will strive to become a telecom company that offers complete network security to our customers through strategic investments,” he added.
The third-largest South Korean telecom operator had tightened cybersecurity measures for its network in the aftermath of a data breach in 2023 that compromised the personal information of nearly 300,000 subscribers.
The company also significantly increased its cybersecurity budget, spending KRW82.8 billion ($59.73 million) last year, which was a 31.3% increase from 2023. This additional investment enabled the company to nearly double its cybersecurity personnel, growing from 157 in 2023 to 293 in 2024.
Furthermore, LG Uplus established an information security center that oversees cybersecurity company-wide. The center reports directly to the chief executive officer, and its head, Hong, participates in the company’s key decision-making processes.
Zero-trust security model by 2027
With more money for cybersecurity, LG Uplus plans to improve its skills in three key areas: security management, prevention and response. The goal is to create a zero-trust security model by 2027.
Zero trust means no user or device is trusted by default, whether on or off the network. It’s an alternative to the traditional security approach, which assumes trust within a defined network boundary.
Under the zero-trust model, LG Uplus will use AI to automatically detect and block abnormal access attempts.
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Meanwhile, Hong said the company has been conducting black-box penetration testing to improve its response capabilities. Since November, the company has been working with white hat hackers to identify potential vulnerabilities in its systems and applications. The testing will continue until the first half of next year.
“This is the longest and largest project in the country to identify potential cyber risks,” Hong said. “We are working to minimize exposures that could be targeted by external attackers and provide secure services to our customers.”
Broader trend
The LG Uplus announcement comes amid an overall increase in cybersecurity spending among South Korean telecommunications companies.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) concluded its public-private investigation into the SKT data breach that compromised nearly 27 million international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) records.
After the final results of the investigation came out, SKT immediately announced an “Information Security Innovation Plan” that would involve a total investment of KRW700 billion ($513.80 million) over the next five years to improve the company’s cybersecurity position.
A week later, KT unveiled its five-year plan to invest over KRW 1 trillion ($724 million) in cybersecurity. Starting next year, the company plans to increase its cybersecurity budget by nearly 100%, bringing it to approximately KRW200 billion ($144.29 million) per year.
