The science ministry has called for stronger cybersecurity measures and additional investment in artificial intelligence at major telecom companies.

Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon made the statement on Friday in a meeting with executives of major telecom companies following a series of data breaches at telecom operators.

Bae urged the companies to reinforce information protections and restore public trust, stressing that telecom firms, as operators of essential national infrastructure, have a heavy responsibility to ensure data security.

Attendees included executives from SK Telecom and LG Uplus. KT, which is currently under investigation for a recent hack and subsequent widespread subscriber fraud, was excluded.

Bae also called on the industry to invest in infrastructure and support startup development to help build a stronger AI ecosystem.