As of 9 a.m. on the 6th, a total of 24.11 million people have subscribed to the SIM protection service introduced by SK Telecom following a recent hacking incident as a subscriber protection measure, and a cumulative total of 1.04 million have actually replaced their SIM cards. SK Telecom includes not only its subscribers but also users of budget mobile phones that share its network in its protection scope.
On the same day, during a daily briefing regarding hacking response held at the Samhwa Building in Jung-gu, Seoul, SK Telecom explained, "Excluding a few who have difficulty with automatic enrollment due to overseas roaming, most will be automatically enrolled in the protection service by the 7th." The company plans to introduce a measure that will apply both the SIM protection service and overseas roaming simultaneously starting on the 14th.
The number of those who made reservations to replace their SIM cards reached 7.8 million, with an additional 100,000 added during the holiday period on the 5th and up to 9 a.m. that day. SK Telecom stated that it is capable of securing a maximum of 1 million SIM cards per day and that the conditions for SIM supply are gradually stabilizing.
During the holiday period, over 1,000 employees were deployed to support SIM card replacements at T World stores and will continue to allocate personnel to regional T World stores rather than at airports for on-site support. However, some pointed out that customers experienced inconvenience as some agencies were closed during the holiday. SK Telecom advised, "It varies by region, but approximately 85-90% of stores were operational based on the Sunday of the holiday; please check the store's operating status through the customer center or website before visiting."
Meanwhile, SK Telecom has suspended new subscriptions and number transfers at its direct and agency stores since the 5th, with new subscription figures at sales points dropping to a quarter of normal levels. However, SK Telecom stated that it currently does not consider separate business compensation for sales points.
Regarding whether penalty fees will be waived upon cancellation of subscription, SK Telecom maintains that this is still under discussion. They stated, "We need to consider various aspects including legal issues, distribution networks, and customer responses, and internal discussions are ongoing, and we will disclose it as soon as a decision is made."