1200% Sales Surge... SKT Hacking Crisis Brings Unexpected Windfall

Distribution Channels for Budget Phones See a Boom
7mobile: "Purchase Cost Will Be Deducted from Your Bill"

While SK Telecom is facing the greatest crisis since its founding due to the hacking of its SIM card information, there have been some unexpected beneficiaries: convenience stores and Daiso, which sell budget phone and prepaid SIM cards.

Convenience stores are operating in downtown Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam

SK Telecom has announced a policy to provide free SIM card replacements for affected customers. However, with approximately 25 million subscribers, the supply of SIM cards is severely insufficient. Consumers who were unable to replace their SIM cards through the so-called "open run" at official stores are now flocking to alternative distribution channels such as convenience stores and household goods retailers.

At CU, SIM card sales from April 22 to 28 increased by 205.3% compared to the previous week. In particular, sales of SK Telink SIM cards for SK Telecom budget phones surged by an astonishing 914.7% during this period.

During the same period, GS25 also saw an explosive increase in sales of budget phone SIM cards. On April 28 alone, SIM card sales jumped by 1,153.9% compared to the same day of the previous week.

On April 28, customers visiting an official SK Telecom certified store in Mapo-gu, Seoul, are receiving information about SIM card availability from a staff member. 2025.4.28. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

Seven Eleven also experienced a 180% increase in total sales of budget phone SIM cards compared to the previous week during the same period, with sales of SK Telecom budget phone SIM cards soaring by 1,200%.

The same trend is observed at Daiso, a fixed-price household goods retailer. Currently, Daiso is selling SK Telecom budget phone SIM cards for 5,000 won, and there has been an unusual surge in demand. A Daiso representative stated, "SIM cards used to be a product that maybe one or two people would ask for in a week, but since the SIM card incident, the number of people looking for them every day has increased."

7mobile, a budget phone operator using the SKT network, announced on its website, "Customers wishing to replace their SIM cards can purchase them at Daiso, Emart, convenience stores, and other locations. The cost will be adjusted in future bills."

The photo shows a Daiso store located in Jongno-gu. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

On April 27, SKT announced that it currently holds about 1 million SIM cards and plans to secure an additional 5 million by the end of May, and another 5 million during June, in order to resolve the supply-demand imbalance.