SEOUL (WiMAX Day). Rumours continue to circulate that SK Telecom, the second largest telecom operator in Korea, will soon acquire broadband operator Hanaro Telecom. While in January SK Telecom denied an acquisition was afoot, several sources reported last week that discussions between the two companies had advanced. Telecoms Korea reported “a source familiar to the talks said that SK Telecom offered 10,000 won per share but Hanaro wanted 12,000 won.” SK Telecom already owns 4.7% of the shares in Hanaro, and a spokesman for Dongbu Securities believes that Hanaro’s major shareholders AIG-New Bridge are pushing the merger to ensure that Hanaro can remain competitive. The merger of the two companies would greatly increase the WiBro profile of SK Telecom against its number one rival KT by migrating many Hanaro broadband subscribers and bundling Hanaro services such as IPTV with SK’s WiBro service.