Crowds gather at an SK Telecom outlet in Seoul’s Mapo District on April 28. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Over 200,000 customers from SK Telecom, South Korea’s leading mobile operator, got brand-new universal subscriber identity module (USIM) chips this Monday as part of their initial rollout for complimentary replacements after a recent security breach impacted the network.
As of 6 p.m., approximately 230,000 individuals finished replacing their USIM chips, with an additional 2.63 million people having reserved the service online, reported SK Telecom.
At 10 a.m., the firm launched a web page for the service, coinciding with approximately 2,600 SK Telecom outlets across the country initiating the swap program simultaneously.
Approximately 25 million SK Telecom subscribers, which includes around 2 million customers using prepaid phones, qualify for this exchange program, as stated by SK Telecom.
SK Telecom intends to offer new USIM cards by validating customers’ ID documents and reservation confirmation messages when they replace their SIM cards in person.
Soon after the system was launched, SK Telecom’s official website along with the USIM replacement page experienced accessibility issues because of high traffic volumes. Additionally, offline outlets saw extended queues of patrons seeking the service.
The scarcity of USIM cards is anticipated to continue for a while since SK Telecom presently possesses around 1 million units. The firm has stated that they intend to obtain an extra 5 million cards by the close of the following month.
On April 18, SK Telecom identified indications of a significant breach involving customer USIM data as a result of a cyberattack.
The company apologized yet again for the disruption caused to our users as a result of the cyber hacking incident,” stating their commitment to doing everything possible to quickly address the issue.
Chairman Ko Hak-soo of the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) stated during a meeting at the National Assembly that the probe into the incident might last for over a year.
PIPC has been in contact with SK Telecom regarding the issue and has initiated a task force to address the situation, Ko mentioned additionally.
In order to avoid further harm, customers have the option to replace their USIM cards or might think about changing their mobile service provider, according to Ko.
“Given the update to the [personal information protection] legislation two years back, which toughened penalty provisions, there’s potential for significant consequences,” he stated, pointing out that the PIPC will advise SK Telecom to develop further steps aimed at addressing worries related to the recent data breach.
Yonhap
