SK Telecom considering bid for Kazakhtelecom unit

SEOUL, July 14 (Reuters) - SK Telecom Co (017670.KS), South Korea's top mobile operator, said on Tuesday it was considering bidding for a 51 percent stake in Kazakhtelecom's KZTK.KZ wireless unit Mobile Telecom Service.

State-controlled fixed-line provider Kazakhtelecom said in late June it planned to sell the stake as part of asset restructuring. It did not say how much it planned to raise from the sale. [ID:nLT222699] "Our company is considering whether to participate in the bidding," said SK Telecom spokeswoman Lauren Kim. "We have yet to finalise a feasibility study."

Letters of intent from potential investors are due by Friday.

SK Telecom, which controls about half of South Korea's mobile market, is looking at business opportunities overseas as growth has stalled in the saturated home market.

Russia's largest mobile carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MBT.N) has also expressed interest in the Kazakhstan deal.

Shares in SK Telecom closed down 1.65 percent, against a 0.54 percent gain in the wider market . (Reporting by Rhee So-eui; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)