Military in talks with SK Telecom over USIM replacement for troops

Customers wait in line at an outlet of SK Telecom to have a free USIM replaced on their smartphones, in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

The military is in talks with SK Telecom on cooperation for providing new universal subscriber identity module (USIM) chips for troops following a major networking hacking incident at the country's biggest mobile carrier, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

A cyberattack caused a massive leak of SK Telecom customers' USIM data earlier this month, affecting some 25 million subscribers, according to the company.

"Military units are in consultation with offline stores to swiftly provide necessary USIM replacements for troops at front-line units and those who cannot visit such stores in person," ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou told a regular press briefing.

Jeon, however, stressed the hacking incident does not indicate a leak of military intelligence as security measures are already in place for mobile phones used by troops.

He said the ministry is reviewing whether USIM replacements are necessary for work phones used by military personnel and seeking cooperation on the matter with the mobile carrier.