SKT Subscribers Begin Collective Action
National Assembly Petition and Joint Response Community Launched
Movement to Boycott SK Group Brands Emerges
Calls for Thorough Investigation and Measures to Prevent Recurrence
On the 28th, customers visiting an official SK Telecom certified store in Mapo-gu, Seoul, received guidance from staff regarding the arrival of SIM cards. SK Telecom plans to offer free SIM card replacement services to subscribers starting today. April 28, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
SK Telecom users who have been targeted by USIM hacking attacks have launched a joint response website and submitted a petition for public consent to the National Assembly, as part of their efforts to seek remedies for the damage. They are also moving toward a boycott of not only SKT but also products from brands affiliated with the SK Group.
According to the information technology (IT) industry on April 28, an official website for the joint response to the SKT USIM hacking incident has been launched following the hacking case. The website administrators stated that they are currently conducting a public consent petition to the National Assembly regarding the SK Telecom USIM hacking incident, with a goal of securing the consent of more than 50,000 people.
They pointed out, "The leaked information is highly likely to result in significant secondary damage across various financial and social networking services (SNS) that use mobile phone number authentication, yet SK Telecom's response has been extremely inadequate." They further noted, "The exact scope and scale of the damage have not been clearly disclosed, which is amplifying users' anxiety and confusion."
The administrators stated, "Through the public consent petition to the National Assembly, we urge a thorough investigation to determine the facts and the scale of the damage, as well as a responsible response from SK Telecom." They also demanded that the government establish effective remedies and measures to prevent recurrence. In addition, they are pursuing a petition to the Ministry of Science and ICT to investigate whether SK Telecom has violated the terms of service for its telecommunications billing services, and are conducting a survey regarding a potential class action lawsuit among subscribers.
On the 28th, a customer visiting an official SK Telecom certified store in Jung-gu, Seoul, is replacing a SIM card. SK Telecom plans to offer free SIM card replacement services to subscribers starting today. April 28, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
A separate online community has also been established in preparation for a class action lawsuit. The administrators of the 'SK Telecom Personal Information Leak Class Action Cafe' posted a notice on April 28, stating, "USIM information is not just simple telecommunications data," and emphasized that "it constitutes a serious infringement of personal information that can lead to secondary damages such as cloned phone activation, voice phishing, and financial fraud." The administrators expressed their intention to share suspected and actual cases of damage, seek legal advice, and retain lawyers to proceed with a class action lawsuit.
It has been confirmed that they are preparing not only to hold SKT accountable, but also to launch a boycott against the SK Group. In the 'Preparing for SK Boycott (Restoring Consumer Rights)' section of the online community, a notice was posted stating, "SKT and the SK Group have not provided sufficient apologies or responsible actions to the victims," and calling for a boycott of major SK Group brands. The brands mentioned as targets of the boycott include SKT, SK Broadband, 11st, SK Gas Stations, SK Rent-a-Car, SK Magic, T Map, and Wavve. As of 11 a.m. on April 28, the number of members in the online community had already surpassed 12,400.
Meanwhile, SK Telecom, in a 'Customer Announcement,' appealed to users by stating, "We will prevent hacking damage with the USIM Protection Service" and asked users to "trust and subscribe." SKT added, "If additional damage occurs even after subscribing to the USIM Protection Service, the company will take 100% responsibility," and requested, "We will thoroughly prepare for SIM card replacements, so please make an online reservation and then visit us."
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