SK Chairman Chey Tae-won apologizes for data breach at SK Telecom

SK Chairman Chey Tae-won on Wednesday made a public apology for a recent large-scale data breach at SK Telecom Co., which may have leaked sensitive information of some 25 million users.

“I apologize for the concerns and inconvenience caused by a cyberattack at SK Telecom,” Chey said during a press conference.

“I also feel regretful for the lack of communication and response that followed the incident. The criticism we have received from customers, the media, the National Assembly and government agencies is well-deserved, and we humbly accept it,” he added.

Chey pledged full cooperation with government authorities to identify the cause of the breach and to mitigate potential damage stemming from the leak of universal subscriber identity module (USIM) data, critical components in mobile user authentication.

“We will review the cybersecurity systems of all SK Group affiliates and expand investment in digital security,” he said. “A new information protection innovation committee, comprising outside experts, will be launched to develop long-term improvements.”

SK Telecom detected hacking on April 18, indicating a large-scale leak of USIM data.

In response, the company has offered to replace the USIM of all 25 million subscribers, including 2 million budget phone users, free of charge to prevent identity theft or financial fraud.

SK Telecom had also enrolled more than 24 million of its users on its USIM protection service as of Tuesday morning, providing the same level of protection against illegal financial activities as physically replacing the USIM chip, the company said earlier.

The rest of its customers will also be enrolled as soon as possible, the company added, noting some 1.04 million users have switched their USIM cards while some 7 million others have signed up for free replacements.

To focus resources on customer protection and USIM replacements, SK Telecom has temporarily suspend new subscriber sign-ups at its 2,600 retail stores nationwide starting Monday.