"150,000 Won Per Card, VVIPs Only: Bizarre Posts Emerge Amid USIM Crisis"

Provoking Anxiety for Financial Gain
"Too Much in This Situation," Netizens Criticize

Following the recent hacking incident of SK Telecom's USIM information management server, it has been revealed that impersonation crimes exploiting this breach are spreading through secondhand trading platforms. These acts are designed to provoke consumer anxiety for financial gain, so special caution is required. On April 28, a post titled "SKT USIM 150,000 won each" appeared on the secondhand trading platform Danggeun Market, sparking controversy. The controversy intensified as the author claimed to be an SK Telecom retail store employee and stated, "Due to the current hacking incident, there is a surge in USIM replacements," further asserting that they were offering USIM stock secured from regular retail stores to special VVIP customers. The author also attempted to induce purchases by saying, "Think of it as a processing fee and a premium. Regular customers cannot negotiate."

"150,000 Won Per Card, VVIPs Only: Bizarre Posts Emerge Amid USIM Crisis"

An industry insider stated, "USIM cards are never sold at such prices in legitimate distribution channels," and added, "It appears that someone is impersonating an SK Telecom retail store to attempt unfair transactions on secondhand trading platforms, targeting the surge in USIM demand following the hacking incident." The insider emphasized, "Consumers need to exercise special caution."

As the controversy spread, Danggeun Market took immediate action regarding the post. The company explained, "We have a policy prohibiting professional sellers from engaging in continuous and repeated profit-seeking activities on any secondhand trading section within the application (app)," and added, "The post was deleted within minutes, and repeated policy violations may result in permanent sanctions."

Online criticism also mounted. Users who saw the post raised suspicions that some telecommunications retail employees might be exploiting customer anxiety, with comments such as, "How can they sell it like this given the current situation?", "It's astonishing that someone is trying to profit from this crisis through secondhand sales," and "It seems they're targeting anxious elderly customers."

25 Million Eligible for USIM Replacement, Raising Concerns of Supply Shortages and Secondary Damage

SK Telecom announced that it has started a free USIM card replacement service from today and currently holds about 1 million USIM cards in stock. The company aims to secure an additional 5 million by the end of May. However, when including not only SK Telecom subscribers but also MVNO subscribers using the same network, the number of eligible people reaches 25 million, raising concerns about potential supply shortages. According to SK Telecom, applications for free USIM replacement can be made via its webpage or the T World homepage. After verifying the applicant's identity through mobile phone authentication, applicants must confirm their name, the first six digits of their resident registration number, a security code (CAPTCHA), and their customer phone number before submitting the request.

SK Telecom announced that it has started a free SIM card replacement service from today and currently holds about 1 million SIM cards in stock. It aims to secure an additional 5 million SIM cards by the end of May. Asia Economy

Meanwhile, cyberattacks such as phishing and smishing that exploit the USIM server hacking incident are becoming more rampant. On April 27, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) warned, "Recently, phishing sites impersonating free USIM replacement or USIM protection services have been discovered," urging users to be vigilant. In practice, when users enter keywords such as "free USIM replacement" or "USIM protection service" into search engines, fake search results that excerpt some media reports are displayed. Clicking on these results may redirect users through intermediate nonprofit domains to gambling sites and other malicious destinations.

In response, the Ministry of Science and ICT emphasized, "Always check whether the site address exposed in search results matches the official site, and refrain from accessing sites of unclear origin." As demand for USIM replacements increases due to the SK Telecom USIM server hacking incident, impersonation crimes on secondhand trading platforms and online phishing attacks are spreading. Consumers should avoid purchasing overpriced USIM cards through unofficial channels or accessing suspicious websites, and should verify information and proceed with USIM replacement procedures only through official guidance channels.