Seoul: The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it will lift the ban on new subscription sales by SK Telecom Co., following the mobile carrier's successful completion of universal subscriber identity module (USIM) replacements for its entire user base of 25 million. This allows SK Telecom to resume new subscription services starting Tuesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the decision comes approximately two months after the government suspended new subscriptions due to a data breach, which potentially leaked sensitive USIM data during an unidentified cyberattack on the company's servers. The suspension remained in effect while SK Telecom undertook a comprehensive USIM replacement initiative.
The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed that SK Telecom has secured an adequate supply of USIM chips and that its USIM booking system is functioning effectively. The ministry stated that the ban was lifted as the objectives of their administrative guidance were attained. However, the ministry instructed SK Telecom to continue prioritizing USIM replacement requests from users.
SK Telecom began offering free USIM card replacements in late April to all subscribers, including 2 million budget phone users, aiming to prevent identity theft or financial fraud following the data breach. The South Korean government had previously issued administrative guidance requiring the company to suspend new subscriptions at its retail stores nationwide until the replacement process was finalized.
As the replacement process neared completion, SK Telecom resumed limited new subscriptions using embedded SIMs (eSIMs) last week.