Inconvenience Caused by Delayed 'Roaming Messages' from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
USIM Protection Service 1.0 Subscribers Cannot Receive Safety Alerts Immediately Unless Roaming Block Is Disabled
SKT: "Automatic Block Release at a Set Time Each Day... Guidance Messages Sent Before Departure"
On the 28th, customers waiting to replace their SIM cards visited an official SK Telecom certified agency in Mapo-gu, Seoul. SK Telecom plans to offer free SIM card replacement services to subscribers starting today. 2025.4.28. Photo by Kang Jinhyung
It has been found that government safety alert text messages, which are provided to South Korean citizens upon arrival overseas, are sent one day late to subscribers of SK Telecom's USIM Protection Service. The 'USIM Protection Service,' which SK Telecom introduced as a measure to prevent USIM information cloning following a hacking incident, has caused unexpected inconveniences for some subscribers.
Customers who subscribed to the USIM Protection Service before May 12 still have 'complete roaming block' set as the default. If they do not manually disable roaming block, they experience difficulties receiving text messages while abroad. Considering that the USIM Protection Service cannot be used during overseas roaming, SKT improved its system from May 12 so that customers traveling abroad can also use the USIM Protection Service.
Kim Eunkyung (51), an SKT subscriber who traveled to Taiwan on May 18, was enrolled in the USIM Protection Service. However, the 'Overseas Safety Roaming Message' from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is typically received immediately after entry, did not arrive until the afternoon of May 19, the following day. This message is an essential safety alert, containing government evacuation instructions and consular assistance information in case of emergencies abroad.
Kim also used another smartphone with a data-only plan locally, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alert did not arrive on that device in a timely manner either. In fact, the message was only received when Kim arrived at the airport to travel to another country after finishing the stay in Taiwan. Kim said, "Whenever I travel abroad, I always receive the Ministry of Foreign Affairs message on both smartphones at the same time, but this time, nothing arrived, which was confusing," adding, "What is the point of receiving a safety message only when I am already about to leave the country?"
An SKT representative explained, "Customers who subscribed to the USIM Protection Service before May 11 are using version 1.0, which automatically sets 'complete roaming block.' In this case, if customers leave the country without pre-registering for a roaming plan, their devices will not connect to local networks, and calls or text messages may be blocked." The version 2.0, applied from May 12, allows customers to choose whether to enable roaming block themselves.
In general, even without subscribing to a roaming plan, as long as the device is connected to a local network while abroad, safety alert text messages (SMS) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be received. However, the 'complete roaming block' in SKT's USIM Protection Service 1.0 fundamentally blocks network connection itself, thereby also preventing the reception of safety alert messages.
The SKT representative added, "This issue can be resolved by disabling the roaming block setting, so we send guidance text messages to subscribers before departure to provide advance notice. For customers who may forget to disable the block before leaving the country, we also automatically disable the block at a set time each day."
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