South Korea's three top mobile operators were levied a record-setting 106.4 billion won (US$100.6 million) in penalties for doling out illegal subsidies to customers in an attempt attract new subscribers, a persistent practice that is to blame for the overheated market. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the country's telecom watchdog, said it is ordering fines on the top players -- SK Telecom with 56 billion won, KT with 29.7 billion won and LG Uplus with 20.7 billion won.