On the 5th, SK Telecom announced that it is discussing the overall status, including the lifting of the new subscriber registration ban, with the government.
On the same day, SK Telecom held a daily briefing on the cyber intrusion incident at Samhwa Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, announcing that the number of subscribers replacing their universal subscriber identity module (USIM) has reached 6.18 million, with an additional 150,000 people changing their USIM the previous day, reducing the number of remaining reservations to 3.16 million.
Since the 5th of last month, SK Telecom has completely suspended new subscription operations, including number transfers, at more than 2,600 T World stores and T World online channels nationwide under the administrative guidance of the Ministry of Science and ICT. The Ministry of Science and ICT stated that it cannot lift the administrative guidance on the suspension of new subscribers while there are individuals waiting for USIM replacements.
Kim Hee-seop, head of the PR Center at SK Telecom, noted that they expect to accommodate all individuals waiting for free USIM replacements by the 20th. Text messages for replacement reservations are scheduled to be sent out by the 16th. Although it has been informed that the USIM replacement is available, there are about 440,000 customers who have not visited the store. Excluding these, the number of people waiting for USIM replacements is approximately 2.7 million. The company is continuing to notify subscribers who have not visited even after a week of receiving the replacement text.
As the free USIM replacement work enters its final stage, there are projections that the Ministry of Science and ICT's suspension of new subscriptions may soon be lifted. Lim Bong-ho, head of the mobile communication (MNO) division at SK Telecom, said, "We are communicating with the government regarding the overall status," adding, "We are also continuously discussing compensation and lending payments due to the new sales suspension with the distribution network."
The one-time expense due to the free USIM replacement is estimated to be the sum of 150 billion won to provide 20 million units of USIM at 7,700 won each and 300-400 won per unit for handling the USIM replacement work in the distribution network.
SK Telecom announced that it is also implementing a mobile service targeting military personnel at the front line upon request from the Ministry of National Defense. On the 4th and 5th of this month, it completed USIM replacements for about 1,000 personnel based in Goseong, Gangwon Province. On the 9th and 10th, it plans to support USIM replacements for about 1,000 military personnel in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.
On the same day, SK Telecom stated that it plans to increase its security investment compared to previous years. Ryu Jeong-hwan, head of the network infrastructure center at SK Telecom, said, "Although we are increasing the investment scale, it is difficult to announce the amount as the investigation is not yet complete and the security enhancement strategy will be established later," while adding, "We plan to expand investment more than before, and also increase the number of personnel in charge."
Regarding the issue of waiving penalties, Kim avoided a direct answer, stating, "There are equity issues for each customer, and it may affect not only SK Telecom but also its partners, so it is difficult to make a decision for the time being," and added, "We will accept everything as the Ministry of Science and ICT is reviewing the causes and responsibilities of the incident, and we will make an announcement in the future."