The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said the planned inspections of SK Telecom Co., KT Corp and LG Uplus Corp are meant to check whether they properly manage location data to ensure user rights.

Under local laws, telecom operators can collect and manage user location data for a certain period of time, only after receiving user consent, according to the KCC.

The move comes amid growing privacy concerns after the telecom operators handed over location data of individuals who participated in a mass demonstration in central Seoul last month to health authorities as part of anti-infection measures against the pandemic, reports Yonhap news agency.

Under the country's infectious disease control and prevention law, health authorities can request information of potentially infected individuals to track them and prevent the spread of disease.