Korea's largest mobile carrier SK Telecom resumed new subscriber sign-ups using eSIM technology on Monday, marking the end of a 40-day suspension prompted by a recent cybersecurity incident.
SK Telecom began offering new eSIM subscriptions at over 2,600 offline retail stores nationwide, according to industry sources on Monday. Unlike traditional physical USIM cards that must be inserted into devices, eSIMs are embedded directly into smartphones, eliminating concerns over inventory shortages.
The resumption comes after the telecom carrier halted new subscriptions and mobile number portability on April 18, following a cyberattack that led to the leakage of subscriber information related to USIM cards.
Although SK Telecom offered free USIM replacements for affected customers, supply constraints hindered timely replacements, prompting intervention from the Ministry of Science and ICT.
On May 1, the ministry issued administrative guidance instructing SK Telecom to suspend new mobile sign-ups and number portability until the USIM shortage was resolved. The ministry had indicated that new business could resume once replacement requests from existing customers were largely fulfilled.
The mobile carrier has since been providing daily reports on USIM inventory and replacement progress to the ministry. The decision to resume eSIM services reflects the company’s assessment that it can fulfill most outstanding replacement reservations by Friday.
SK Telecom expects to secure 1.9 million USIM cards in the second week of this month and 1.6 million in the third week, ensuring a combined supply of 3.5 million units.
With sufficient inventory to accommodate additional replacement requests, SK Telecom is also expected to restart new subscriptions using physical USIM cards later this month.
To support retail operations, the company plans to dispatch some 3,200 employees from its headquarters and subsidiaries to stores requiring on-site assistance.
“We will make every effort with the utmost priority on USIM replacement to restore customer trust across all distribution channels,” an SK Telecom official said.
As of Sunday, the cumulative number of customers who have replaced their USIM cards with SK Telecom reached 8.07 million. The number of remaining customers with reservations stands at 1.82 million.
