SKT apologizes for hacking breach, offers free USIM replacements

SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang bows in apology over the recent hacking incident during a press conference in Seoul on Friday. (SK Telecom)

SK Telecom Chief Executive Officer Ryu Young-sang apologized Friday for the recent hacking incident involving the partial leakage of customers' universal subscriber identity module information, pledging to reinforce security measures and replace all customers’ USIM cards.

“We sincerely apologize to our valued customers and the public for the significant concern and inconvenience caused by this incident,” Ryu said in a press conference at the company’s headquarters in central Seoul. “As an additional step, we will offer free USIM card replacements for all SK Telecom users who wish to make the change.”

The announcement follows the company’s introduction of enhanced fraud detection systems and its USIM protection service. The telecom carrier emphasized that the latest measure aims to ease anxiety among customers in the wake of the breach.

Starting at 10 a.m. Monday, all SK Telecom customers will be eligible for free USIM replacement at the company’s offline stores and airport roaming centers nationwide. Smartwatches and kids’ phone lines are excluded from the program. In cases where demand exceeds capacity, customers will be allowed to make a reservation.

SK Telecom also said that it would retroactively reimburse customers who had already paid for USIM replacements between April 19 and 27.

The company said that the initiative will be extended to mobile virtual network operator subscribers using the telecom carrier’s network. Each MVNO will provide separate notifications regarding implementation details and timelines.

In response to the breach, the company has raised its fraud detection thresholds to the highest level and is ramping up real-time monitoring to detect and prevent any abnormal USIM authentication attempts.

As of Thursday, more than 2.4 million customers had enrolled in the USIM protection service, with a record 2.06 million signing up between Tuesday and Thursday. The company also plans to enhance the service to enable secure USIM protection even during overseas roaming by next month.

“Customer trust is our top priority,” Ryu said. “We’ll continue to strengthen our security infrastructure and ensure that customer data is protected to the highest standards. Through this incident, we are reminded to return to the fundamentals and reaffirm our responsibility as a trusted corporation.”