Seoul: SK Chairman Chey Tae-won on Wednesday publicly apologized for a significant data breach at SK Telecom Co., which may have compromised sensitive information belonging to approximately 25 million users. "I apologize for the concerns and inconvenience caused by a cyberattack at SK Telecom," Chey stated during a press conference. He expressed regret over the lack of communication and response that followed the incident, acknowledging the criticism from customers, media, the National Assembly, and government agencies as justified and accepted with humility.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Chey committed to full cooperation with government authorities to uncover the cause of the breach and address the potential damage from the leak of universal subscriber identity module (USIM) data, which is crucial for mobile user authentication. He further announced plans to review cybersecurity systems across all SK Group affiliates and to increase investment in digital security. An information protection innovation committee, consisting of external experts, will also be established to develop long-term improvements.
SK Telecom detected the hacking incident on April 18, which indicated a large-scale leak of USIM data. In response, the company has offered to replace the USIM for all 25 million subscribers, including 2 million budget phone users, at no charge to prevent identity theft or financial fraud. As of Tuesday morning, SK Telecom had enrolled more than 24 million users into its USIM protection service, providing protection against illegal financial activities equivalent to physically replacing the USIM chip.
The company plans to enroll the rest of its customers as soon as possible, with reports indicating that around 1.04 million users have already switched their USIM cards and about 7 million others have signed up for free replacements. To concentrate resources on customer protection and USIM replacements, SK Telecom has temporarily suspended new subscriber sign-ups at its 2,600 retail stores nationwide starting Monday.