By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
The Korean Communication Commission (KCC) is looking into suspicions that LG Powercomm, a high-speed Internet provider, abused the private information of employees of LG Group and its affiliates to make unwanted sales calls.
According to allegations, LG Powercom's sales offices were given access to a database that held the names, home addresses and mobile-phone numbers of LG employees. The information may have also been provided to telemarketing firms, the commission said.
After handing out a 40-day suspension to Hanarotelecom for illegal telemarketing activities last month, the country's broadcasting regulator has been investigating LG Powercomm and KT, the country's No. 1 Internet operator, on similar charges.
``We can't talk too much about an investigation that is still underway,'' a KCC spokesman said.
``We are looking at a wide range of accusations, and suspicions that LG Powercomm abused the personal information of LG employees is just one of them.''
An LG Powercomm spokesman neither denied nor admitted to the suspicions, saying that the company was still gathering facts.
``The company had no knowledge of our sales branches being provided the personal information of employees of LG Group and its affiliates,'' he said.