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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] A South Korean civic group has called on LG Uplus to offer broader compensation measures, including penalty waivers, after concerns were raised that the company’s subscriber identification system may have effectively exposed sensitive user information.
The Consumers Korea Council said in a statement on March 17 that LG Uplus has been assigning International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) numbers based on phone numbers for roughly 11 million subscribers, making core identification data effectively exposed.
“Immediate protective measures and compensation plans must be 마련,” the group said, warning that IMSI is highly sensitive information that could lead to secondary damage such as device cloning, location tracking, voice phishing and smishing if compromised.
The group argued that under a system where IMSI can be inferred from a phone number, attackers could use fake base stations—so-called IMSI catchers—to track user locations or carry out targeted crimes against specific individuals or groups.
It also raised concerns that the full scope of the potential data exposure remains unclear, especially given LG Uplus’ past data breach incidents and allegations of obstruction during investigations.
The group contrasted LG Uplus’ system with those of rival telecom operators. SK Telecom and KT reportedly assign subscriber identification numbers based on random values, making it difficult to identify individuals, whereas LG Uplus has maintained a phone number-based structure.
The civic group called for a series of measures, including:
Sending alerts to all subscribers about potential secondary damage risks
Offering unrestricted USIM replacement for all users
Waiving early termination fees for customers who cancel their service before USIM replacement
It also stressed the need for fundamental improvements, such as redesigning the IMSI system to a random-based structure, and urged the company to proactively notify customers through direct channels such as phone calls, not just general announcements.
“The response and accountability are more important than the incident itself,” the group said. “Without immediate and substantive measures, damage to consumer trust will be inevitable.”
Meanwhile, LG Uplus said it will implement corrective measures including USIM replacement and software upgrades.
The company plans to secure sufficient USIM inventory and begin free USIM reconfiguration or replacement for customers starting April 13. It will also introduce a store visit reservation system, with further details to be announced.
The program will apply to all LG Uplus mobile subscribers, including users of secondary devices such as smartwatches and children’s phones, as well as customers of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) using the LG Uplus network.
In addition, LG Uplus plans to roll out a software update in November that will allow IMSI numbers to be converted into randomized values without requiring physical USIM replacement.
The company said it will implement the measures in phases to minimize waiting times and ensure a smooth supply and replacement process.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
