**”Retail Stores Can’t Be Forced to Stop New Sign-Ups”**
– SIM card replacement has reached 1 million, with additional supplies coming next week.
– Processing 7.7 million requests is expected to take around 45 days.
– 22.18 million users have subscribed to SIM protection, covering 89% of the total.
On May 5, a notice indicating the suspension of new activations was posted in front of an SK Telecom agency in Seoul. That day, all new activations were suspended at SK Telecom’s agency, T World. This was done to prioritize the replacement of SIM cards for affected customers. However, new activations and number porting remain possible at general retail stores. Since the hacking incident, more than 1 million people have replaced their SK Telecom SIM cards.
According to SK Telecom, new sign-ups and number-porting requests have been temporarily halted at around 2,600 T World branches nationwide and through their online channels. This measure follows administrative guidance from the Ministry of Science and ICT and is expected to continue until SIM supply stabilizes.
General retailers that handle services from SK Telecom, KT, LG Uplus, and budget phone brands are still able to facilitate new sign-ups and number porting with SK Telecom. A post on an online community stated, “Retail stores like us are not subject to the suspension of (new SK Telecom sign-ups),” and confirmed that new activations and porting are still being processed normally and can even be completed via nationwide delivery.
SK Telecom explained that it cannot enforce a suspension of operations on stores without direct contracts. Lim Bong-ho, head of SK Telecom’s Mobile Network Operations, stated, “The newly supplied SIMs are being allocated exclusively to official agencies for prioritized replacement work,” and added that “retailers can use SIMs they possessed before the hacking as their assets to attract customers.”
By 9 a.m. on the day, 1 million SIM replacements had been completed, with 7.7 million requests pending. SK Telecom anticipates that the replacement process will accelerate next week as 5 million additional SIMs are supplied by the end of the month. Kim Hee-seop, head of SK Telecom’s PR Center, said, “By the end of the month, we should receive 5 million more SIMs, and after the shortage phase, we will have 1 to 2 million units in stock,” ensuring there won’t be a case where SIM replacement is impossible. Kim added that agencies can handle around 200,000 to 250,000 replacements a day and estimated it would take about 45 days for all requesters to receive replacements.
Sim Protection service subscribers number 22.18 million, covering 88.7% of the total 25 million users. SK Telecom plans to extend SIM Protection services to roaming plan subscribers who are technically unable to enroll by the 14th at the latest. Ryu Jung-hwan, head of SK Telecom Network Infrastructure Center, stated, “By utilizing AI technology, we aim to launch relevant technology to enable SIM protection services for international use by the 14th.”
Meanwhile, concerning waiving cancellation fees for customers switching to other carriers, SK Telecom maintained its stance of “internal consideration.” The previous day, the National Assembly Research Service suggested that without legal restrictions, waiving such fees voluntarily is possible. Kim stated that “the internal investigation is ongoing, and no conclusion has been reached yet.”