A total of 10,000 easily memorable and business-friendly mobile gold numbers will be available to the public.
On June 7, SK Telecom announced that it will conduct its first lottery event of the year for popular 'gold numbers' until June 21. The lottery will include numbers with repeating digits such as 1111 and 0002, numbers with specific meanings like 1004 and 1472, and numbers where the area code matches the last four digits (ABCD-ABCD), totaling nine different types. Individuals can apply for a maximum of three numbers.
The gold number lottery is open to existing SK Telecom subscribers, new customers, and those switching from other carriers or mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). Applications can be submitted at official SK Telecom certified stores and the official online shop, T Direct Shop. Winners will be announced on June 25, and they must complete the registration process between June 29 and July 17 to use their selected numbers.
The annual lottery for gold numbers reflects a history of regulatory improvements aimed at preventing the privatization of public resources. In the early days of smartphone adoption, gold numbers were often acquired through personal connections at telecom stores or traded informally online for prices ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of won.
Critics have raised concerns about individuals monopolizing phone numbers for private gain, prompting the government to ban the sale of preferred numbers through a revision of the Telecommunications Business Act implemented in July 2016. Following this legal change, the telecom industry was mandated to hold public lotteries for preferred numbers at least twice a year, with violations subject to fines of up to 30 million won.
An industry official stated, "The gold number lottery system represents a significant innovation in the past informal distribution structure, providing equal opportunities for everyone and realizing the public nature of telecom resources."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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