ANKARA – A massive data breach at South Korea’s largest telecom provider, SK Telecom (SKT), has led to a dramatic loss of subscribers, with nearly one million people switching mobile operators in May alone, The Korea Herald reported Monday.
According to new figures from the Korea Telecommunications Operations Association, SKT lost a total of 677,491 subscribers in April and May. While it managed to attract 157,631 new customers during that period, the company still suffered a net loss of more than 500,000 users.
The breach, one of the largest cyberattacks in South Korea’s history, was publicly disclosed in April and reportedly exposed the personal data of over 20 million users. The announcement prompted a surge in mobile carrier changes, with 943,509 people switching providers in May, a sharp increase from 690,954 in April.
Many of the defectors have turned to SKT’s main competitors — KT and LG Uplus — currently the country’s second- and third-largest telecom operators, respectively.
Despite the fallout, SKT remains the dominant force in the South Korean mobile market, maintaining a 40.25% market share in the first quarter of 2025.
In response to public outrage, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won issued an apology last month, acknowledging the scale of the breach and vowing to strengthen the company’s cybersecurity infrastructure. (Anadolu)
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