Open Source Guide

Introduction

"If software is eating the world, open source is eating the software world."

That open source has become the heart of the software world is now a self-evident fact that needs no further explanation.

SK Telecom already uses a great deal of open source across most of its services. Going further, SK Telecom contributes to numerous open source projects and releases key software as open source. This stems from a clear recognition that open source is an excellent tool for transforming software development culture, and from the belief that the greatest value can be created from open source when one actively participates in the open source community.

In recent years, alongside license compliance, security vulnerability management and software supply chain security have emerged as critical challenges in the open source ecosystem. As regulations in the United States and Europe have tightened, managing the SBOM (Software Bill of Materials) and responding systematically to vulnerabilities have become essential.

The SK Telecom OSPO (Open Source Program Office) provides guides to help members not only use and contribute to open source correctly, but also release SK Telecom’s software as open source.

Structure of This Guide

This guide is organized into the following three topics.

(Image source: https://opensource.com/article/20/5/open-source-program-office)

1. Consume Open Source (Consume open source projects)
   • Explains how to take external open source and use it correctly in SK Telecom’s products or services, along with the points that require attention.
   • Covers compliance with license obligations, SBOM management, security vulnerability response, and the use of automation tools.
2. Contribute to Open Source (Contribute to open source projects)
   • Explains the methods and procedures by which SK Telecom members contribute code they have written to existing external open source projects.
3. Release Open Source (Release of new open source project)
   • Explains the methods and procedures for releasing software developed by SK Telecom members as open source.