Appearance as a Witness at the National Assembly Committee on Broadcasting and Communications… “Acknowledgment of Issues in Reporting Procedures”
“No Need to Replace USIM… USIM Protection Service Subscription is Sufficient”,
SK Telecom CEO Yoo Young-sang listens to questions from lawmakers during a hearing in the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors, including YTN, held at the National Assembly’s Committee on Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 30th. From left: Lee Sang-jung, President of the Korea Internet & Security Agency; CEO Yoo; Kang Do-hyung, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT. April 30, 2025 / News1 ⓒ News1 Reporter Kim Min-ji,
,
, ‘(Seoul=News1) Reporters Yang Sae-rom, Kim Jung-hyun, Son Seung-hwan, Han Byung-chan = SK Telecom CEO Yoo Young-sang has agreed that the cyberattack, which involved the theft of USIM (Subscriber Identity Module) information, was the worst hacking attack in the history of telecommunications companies.’,
,
, ‘CEO Yoo appeared as a witness at a hearing in the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors, including YTN, held by the National Assembly Committee on Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications on the 30th. In response to a question from Representative Park Jung-hoon of the People Power Party, “Do you agree that this incident is the worst hacking attack in the history of telecom companies?” Yoo agreed with the statement.’,
,
, ‘He also acknowledged criticisms regarding late reporting to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) by saying, “There were procedural issues.”‘,
,
, ‘Moreover, Yoo mentioned that they would comprehensively review the exemption from cancellation fees due to the hacking incident.’,
,
, ‘Regarding this, Kang Do-hyun, the Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, also stated, “We will review it clearly from a legal perspective without considering specific companies” and “We will conduct the review concurrently with the issue of incident handling and the results of the follow-up investigation.”‘,
,
, “Currently, SK Telecom has been providing a ‘USIM Free Replacement Service’ since the 28th. They have secured 6 million USIMs by next month and an additional 5 million by the end of June.”,
,
, “Nonetheless, due to a shortage of supply leading to a ‘USIM crisis’, KT and LG U+ are also reportedly exploring various methods to support USIMs.”,
,
, ‘”Did you replace your USIM after the hacking incident?” asked Choi Min-hee, the chair of the committee, to which CEO Yoo replied, “I subscribed to the USIM protection service and consider it sufficient.”‘,
,
, ‘The service prevents others from cloning or hijacking customers’ USIM information to connect to communication services on other devices.’,
,
, ‘Regarding the inability to use this service while roaming abroad, he mentioned, “From May 14th, you will be able to subscribe to the USIM protection service even while roaming overseas.”‘,
,
, ‘He also promised that they would provide 100% compensation for damages resulting from USIM information leaks, even if not subscribed to the service. In response to ongoing criticisms regarding compensation, Yoo reiterated, “If a cloning-related issue arises, we will naturally compensate.” “We will take full responsibility.”‘,
,
, ‘CEO Yoo reiterated his apology on this day as well. He said, “I have apologized once regarding this cyber infiltration incident, but I apologize once more today. We will do our utmost to restore the current situation.”‘