TLDR: SK Telecom has presented its ‘T.H.E. AI’ governance framework and an internal ‘AI Governance Portal’ to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). This initiative underscores the company’s commitment to responsible AI implementation, human rights-centered digital governance, and the establishment of a sustainable AI ecosystem. The framework, which emphasizes trust, humanity, and ethics, has been positively received by the OHCHR, leading to global expansion efforts and internal institutionalization.
Seoul, South Korea – SK Telecom (SKT) announced on October 19, 2025, that it has introduced its comprehensive AI governance framework, dubbed ‘T.H.E. AI,’ along with an internal ‘AI Governance Portal,’ to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The presentation, held at SKT’s headquarters in Euljiro, Seoul, involved Chief Product Officer Cha Ho-beom and OHCHR Human Rights Officer Tim Engelhardt, among other UN officials. The discussions focused on responsible AI implementation and the critical role of human rights in digital governance.
‘T.H.E. AI’ is an acronym that encapsulates SKT’s core philosophy for a sustainable AI ecosystem. It stands for ‘by Telco,’ signifying trust built upon telecommunications technology; ‘for Humanity,’ emphasizing human welfare and inclusion; and ‘with Ethics,’ highlighting ethical accountability and transparency. This framework, initially established last year and formally introduced into corporate management in January 2024, was publicly unveiled at the company’s March shareholders’ meeting.
The OHCHR has highly commended SK Telecom’s proactive efforts in identifying and mitigating risks across the entire lifecycle of AI services. In response, SKT is actively institutionalizing its governance framework by developing a robust Code of Conduct for AI, integrating it into internal regulations, and requiring all employees to participate in a practice pledge. Further demonstrating its commitment, SKT established a dedicated team this year, reporting directly to Chief Global Officer Jeong Jae-heon (president), to spearhead global expansion initiatives. These efforts include discussions on cooperation plans with organizations like the GSMA and Deutsche Telekom at MWC 2025 in Spain.
Central to SKT’s internal governance is the ‘AI Governance Portal,’ an advanced internal evaluation system. This portal is designed to diagnose potential risks and opportunities associated with AI services at every stage, from initial planning and development to ongoing operation and continuous improvement. It ensures compliance through a checklist categorized by risk level and presents a summary of all ongoing processes on a dashboard, facilitating easy tracking and management of diagnosis and evaluation results. The company emphasizes that this diagnosis and evaluation is not a one-time event but an ongoing process throughout the entire service lifecycle, supporting service safety from pre-launch stages to post-launch operations and fault management.
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Chief Global Officer Jeong Jae-heon previously noted that ‘Establishing AI governance is a stepping stone for SKT to leap into a global AI company. By securing AI based on trust and safety, we aim to ensure our AI Pyramid Strategy has strong execution power, driving innovation in industry and daily life.’ This reflects SK Telecom’s broader ‘AI Pyramid Strategy,’ which focuses on AI infrastructure, Artificial Intelligence Transformation (AIX), and AI services, with the governance framework designed to ensure its effective execution. SK Telecom’s active engagement in global discussions on sustainable AI, including participation in Responsible AI (RAI) initiatives, further solidifies its commitment to advancing AI technology responsibly and ethically.
