Outbound travelers wait in line at an outlet of SK Telecom Co., South Korea’s leading mobile carrier, inside Incheon airport, west of Seoul, on May 1, 2025, to have a free universal subscriber identity module (USIM) replaced on their smartphones following a network hacking incident involving the potential leak of subscriber information. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The government on Thursday issued an administrative guidance order instructing SK Telecom Co. to suspend new subscriber sign-ups until it resolves a shortage of universal subscriber identity module (USIM) cards related to a recent company network data breach.
The Ministry of Science and ICT said the measure aims to prevent further damage to customers, urging SK Telecom, South Korea’s leading mobile carrier, to implement stronger corrective actions in response to the incident.
It also ordered the carrier to refrain from accepting customers who wish to switch to SK Telecom while retaining their phone numbers until the supply of USIM cards was stabilized.
In addition, the ministry requested that SK Telecom submit a detailed implementation plan for its pledge to automatically apply USIM protection services to vulnerable users.
SK Telecom, the largest mobile carrier in South Korea with 25 million subscribers out of a population of 50 million, detected the cyberattack on April 18 and discovered signs of a large-scale leak of customers’ USIM data.
The company is offering free USIM chip replacements to all of its customers, but replacement services have faced disruptions amid a shortage of USIM cards and a large number of customers wishing to take the precautionary measure.
SK Telecom said it felt “grave responsibility” for the current situation and is reviewing ways to implement the administrative guidance.
(Yonhap)
