Seoul, May 5
SK Telecom suspended new subscriber sign-ups to its network on Monday as part of response measures following a recent company network data breach.
The nationwide suspension took place as the company focuses on replacing mobile phone USIM chips after it detected a cyberattack on April 18 that showed signs of a large-scale leak of customer USIM data, reports news agency.
The government ordered SKT last week to halt new subscriber sign-ups until it resolves a shortage of USIM cards related to the data breach incident.
The company has offered free USIM replacements to all 25 million subscribers, including 2 million budget phone users, to prevent potential damage, but the efforts have lagged due to a limited supply.
A company official said about 1 million subscribers have so far replaced their USIMs, while 7.7 million others are signed up for replacements.
SK Telecom has also rolled out a USIM protection service, which it claims offers the same level of defence against illegal financial activity as physically replacing a USIM.
As of 9 am on Monday, 22.18 million people had signed up for the service, according to the company.