Seoul: SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading wireless services provider, has suspended new subscriber sign-ups nationwide. This decision comes as part of the company's response to a recent data breach affecting its network.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the suspension follows the detection of a cyberattack on April 18, which highlighted a significant leak of customer universal subscriber identity module (USIM) data. In response, the government ordered SK Telecom to pause new sign-ups until it addresses the shortage of USIM cards caused by the breach.

SK Telecom has initiated a program offering free USIM replacements to all 25 million subscribers, including 2 million budget phone users, to mitigate potential damage. The replacement process, however, is proceeding slowly due to limited inventory. So far, approximately 1 million subscribers have replaced their USIMs, while an additional 7.7 million have registered for replacements.

The company has also launched a USIM Protection Service, which it asserts offers security against illegal financial activities on par with a physical USIM replacement. Moreover, SK Telecom is automatically enrolling users identified as digitally vulnerable into the protection service.

To assist international travelers, SK Telecom has established temporary booths at Incheon International Airport for on-site USIM replacements. As of 9 a.m. Monday, 22.18 million people had registered for the protection service, according to SK Telecom.

A company official reported no confirmed cases of financial damage resulting from the data leak to date. Meanwhile, a Naver online forum titled "SK Telecom Personal Information Leak Class Action Cafe" has seen over 1,000 introductory posts by noon Monday. The forum's membership has surpassed 75,000, with more than 600 users expressing their intent to participate in legal action.