SK Telecom adopts plain-language UX writing guide ahead of Hangul Day
In short
SK Telecom said on October 6 that it has developed a UX writing guide and is applying it to customer-facing messages, replacing wording such as “잘못 입력하셨습니다” with “비밀번호를 다시 확인해 주세요”. The guide sets four communication principles and includes a “customer emotion map” and emoji rules. An in-house AI agent named “소통이” reviews customer-facing wording in real time and also checks new slang and risk elements in images.
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SK Telecom said on October 6 that it has developed a “UX writing guide” for customer-facing text and is applying it in practice, ahead of Hangul Day. The company said the guide is meant to help customers understand mobile service messages easily and continue naturally to their next action. Yonhap reported the announcement and Maeil Business carried additional detail, including examples of the wording being changed. [ 1 , 2 ]
The guide sets four principles for communicating with customers — easy, helpful, trustworthy and empathetic — and introduces a “customer emotion map” that reflects feelings such as expectation, anxiety and embarrassment during service use, according to both reports. Maeil Business said the guide was produced by SK Telecom's customer language research team through surveys of customers and staff and advice from language experts, and that staff do not have to look the guide up themselves because the AI checks the wording. [ 1 , 2 ]
The changes replace provider-side phrasing with everyday language. According to the reports, “잘못 입력하셨습니다” becomes “비밀번호를 다시 확인해 주세요”, guiding customers toward a fix rather than pointing out a mistake, and Maeil Business added that “세션이 만료되었습니다” becomes “로그인 시간이 지났습니다” and “요금제별로 혜택이 상이합니다” becomes “요금제별 혜택이 다릅니다”. Messages stating that it is not the service's operating hours should instead give the specific available times and follow-up guidance, Maeil Business reported. It also said “효자 상품” is replaced with “인기 상품” and “부모님 동의” with “보호자 동의”, and that emoji standards advise against using emoji in place of text or specifying skin colour or gender. [ 1 , 2 ]
SK Telecom's in-house AI agent “소통이” reviews customer guidance wording in real time and checks the appropriateness of newly coined slang and risk elements in images, according to both reports. Maeil Business said the agent was trained on 23 internal communication guides, including the UX writing guide, and more than 50,000 pieces of language review data, and that it works with external data. [ 1 , 2 ]
Lee Hye-yeon, head of SK Telecom's Customer Value Innovation Office, said “고객이 서비스에서 만나는 문구 한 줄은 SK텔레콤이 고객에게 건네는 말” and that the company would use the guide and “소통이” to change the customer experience with empathetic language, Maeil Business reported. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The change affects the wording millions of SK Telecom subscribers see in mobile services, and shows a major carrier using an in-house AI agent for routine language review. It also reflects wider attention in South Korean corporate communications to inclusive and plain-language expression, timed to Hangul Day.
Key facts
- SK Telecom announced on October 6 that it developed a “UX writing guide” and will apply it in practice, ahead of Hangul Day. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The guide sets four principles for communicating with customers: easy, helpful, trustworthy and empathetic. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Examples given include replacing “잘못 입력하셨습니다” with “비밀번호를 다시 확인해 주세요” and “요금제별로 혜택이 상이합니다” with “요금제별 혜택이 다릅니다”. [ 1 , 2 ]
- SK Telecom introduced a “customer emotion map” covering feelings such as expectation, anxiety and embarrassment. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The guide replaces expressions such as “효자 상품” with “인기 상품” and “부모님 동의” with “보호자 동의”, and sets standards for emoji use. [ 2 ]
- The company's in-house AI agent “소통이” reviews customer guidance wording in real time and checks the appropriateness of new slang and risk elements in images. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The guide was created by SK Telecom's customer language research team through surveys of customers and staff and advice from language experts, according to Maeil Business. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- SK Telecom announced the UX writing guide and its application to customer-facing wording on October 6, ahead of Hangul Day. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The guide is built on four principles: easy, helpful, trustworthy and empathetic. [ 1 , 2 ]
- SK Telecom is replacing wording that points out customer mistakes, for example using “비밀번호를 다시 확인해 주세요” instead of “잘못 입력하셨습니다”. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The company introduced a customer emotion map and an AI agent named “소통이” that checks wording in real time, including new slang and image risk elements. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- How broadly and how quickly the guide will be applied across SK Telecom's services. Both documents say the guide will be applied in practice but give no rollout scope, deadline or completion date.
- What the AI agent “소통이” costs or how many messages it reviews. Maeil Business describes the data it was trained on, but neither document gives operating figures.