SK Telecom Enters Highest Level of Emergency Management
Yoo Youngsang: "Emergency Management System Raised to Maximum Level"
"Forget About the Holidays" - On-Site Support from Developers to New Hires
SK Telecom, facing the greatest crisis in its history due to the USIM information hacking incident, has entered the highest level of emergency management. All headquarters employees have been dispatched to the field to support customers.
According to the telecommunications industry on May 3, Yoo Youngsang, CEO of SK Telecom, delivered a notice to all employees via the company’s internal communication network the previous afternoon, stating that "the emergency management system has been elevated to the highest level."
On the 1st, departing passengers are lining up to replace their SIM cards at the SK Telecom Roaming Center in the departure hall of Incheon International Airport Terminal 1. Photo by Yonhap News
CEO Yoo assessed the current situation as "an urgent crisis in which customers' daily lives and emotions have been severely damaged by a cyber breach, and the trust we have built with customers over the years could collapse in an instant." He emphasized, "Now is the time for everyone to respond with action in the field."
SK Telecom has deployed a large number of headquarters personnel to major airports, where more than three million outbound travelers are expected during the Golden Week holiday, as well as to directly operated stores and authorized dealers where USIM replacements are taking place. Employees from departments not directly related to the mobile communications division, including developers and new hires, have reportedly joined field support efforts.
On the company’s internal bulletin board and on the anonymous workplace community 'Blind,' employees have been actively sharing firsthand experiences, such as "field support reviews" and "customer service tips." In a post titled "Field Support Reviews and Mindset Tips," one employee wrote, "T World managers have worked in their regions for years and have strong ties with regular customers in their business districts. Headquarters employees should support them with the mindset of doing a one-day part-time job."
Employees who experienced field duties expressed self-reflection, saying, "I felt ashamed seeing long-term loyal customers express anger," and "I deeply reflected while seeing anxious faces of customers."
SK Telecom, which had its subscriber USIM information stolen, posted a notice about USIM stock depletion at a store in downtown Seoul. Yonhap News
With the government recently taking the drastic measure of suspending new subscriptions for SK Telecom, the company has found itself in a situation where it has no choice but to halt all new business operations until the on-site confusion related to USIM replacements is fully resolved.
SK Telecom has decided to hold emergency management meetings every day, including weekends and holidays, and has expanded the risk management system, activated immediately after the incident, into a company-wide control tower. The company has also formally launched a company-wide emergency management task force directly under the CEO, and executives have begun emergency shifts, reporting to work every day at 7 a.m. without weekends until the situation is resolved.
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