SK Telecom direct store in downtown Seoul./Courtesy of News1

More than 6 million SK Telecom subscribers have replaced their USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module).

SK Telecom stated that as of midnight on the 4th, 6.03 million subscribers had replaced their USIM for free following a hacking incident. On the day before the 21st presidential election, 140,000 people replaced their USIM, surpassing the 6 million mark. There are 3.25 million subscribers who have applied for a USIM replacement and are currently waiting.

Starting on the 5th of last month, SK Telecom has completely suspended new subscription services, including number transfers, at over 2,600 T World stores and T World online channels nationwide, following administrative guidance from the Ministry of Science and ICT. The ministry's position is that the suspension of new subscriptions can only be lifted once there are no pending USIM replacements. In the industry, analysis suggests that given the current pace of USIM replacements, new subscription services at SK Telecom’s direct stores and authorized dealers could resume as early as this month.

Meanwhile, from April 22, when the SK Telecom breach became known, until the 3rd of this month, the number of subscribers who switched from SK Telecom to competitors (KT and LG Uplus) was recorded at 496,009. Of these, KT absorbed 274,303, while LG Uplus secured 221,706. In contrast, during this period, the number of customers who switched from KT and LG Uplus to SK Telecom was 59,023.

As of the 4th, the number of SK Telecom SIM card replacement subscribers./Courtesy of SK Telecom