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SK Telecom to resume new eSIM-based subscriptions starting Monday following data breach

Published: 16 Jun. 2025, 08:41 Updated: 16 Jun. 2025, 14:01

SK Telecom's headquarters in Jung District, central Seoul, is seen on May 6. [NEWS1]

SK Telecom, Korea's leading mobile carrier, is set to partially resume new subscription services limited to eSIM starting later this week, following a recent large-scale data breach, industry sources said Sunday.

New subscriptions, which had been suspended nationwide, will resume at its retail stores starting Monday morning, according to the sources.

The breach, first detected on April 18, involved the unauthorized exposure of data linked to universal subscriber identity module (USIM) cards. In response, SK Telecom has been replacing affected customers' USIM cards free of charge to prevent potential identity theft or financial fraud.

Full resumption of new eSIM services is expected shortly after Friday, when the bulk of the USIM replacements are projected to be completed.

The Ministry of Science and ICT previously said SK Telecom would be allowed to resume new service operations once the USIM replacements for affected customers were finalized.

Industry officials noted that the decision to partially restart new subscriptions was influenced by the nearing completion of the replacement process.

Yonhap