SKT: About 950,000 USIM Cards Replaced... 100,000 More Arriving Today

"USIM Protection Service Subscribers Expected to Surpass 20 Million Today"
Cumulative USIM Replacement Applicants Reach 7.6 Million

Yonhap News

SK Telecom announced that, as of May 4, approximately 950,000 people have completed USIM card replacements following the recent hacking incident, and that the company will secure an additional 100,000 USIM cards on the same day.

Kim Heesub, Head of SKT PR Center, stated at a press briefing held at Samhwa Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, "The USIM Protection Service is operated on an automatic enrollment basis, and currently 19.91 million people have completed enrollment. We expect the number to exceed 20 million by the end of today."

Regarding the status of USIM replacements, Kim explained, "As of yesterday, 956,000 people have replaced their USIM cards. While this is not as many as expected, we are proceeding as quickly as possible." He added, "A large quantity has been distributed to airport roaming centers, so we are focusing our support there."

On average, 200,000 people per day are submitting USIM replacement reservations, with the cumulative number of applicants reaching 7.6 million to date. As of the morning of May 4, 20,000 people had made reservations. On the previous day, when a surge in outbound travelers was expected due to the holiday period, approximately 20,000 USIM cards were replaced at airports.

SKT plans to bring in a total of 5 million USIM cards by the end of May, and starting May 5, 2,600 T World stores nationwide will focus on USIM replacement services.

Lim Bongho, Head of the MNO Business Division, explained, "A significant supply of USIM cards will arrive after May 12 or 13. Today, we also expect to receive about 100,000 cards, and we have been continuously supplying them since last week." He added, "Currently, most replacements are being carried out at roaming booths, and as inventory becomes available, we will prioritize replacements for customers who have made reservations through our distribution channels."

Regarding the timeline for lifting the suspension of new subscriptions, the company stated, "The start date has been set, but the end date is yet to be determined. We will make a comprehensive assessment of the situation before making a decision."

Addressing the potential for class action lawsuits related to this incident, Kim said, "If there are areas where the company has failed to fulfill its responsibilities, we will accept any criticism and punishment accordingly. However, as the investigation is still ongoing, it is difficult to comment in detail at this time."