Marketing Leveraging SKT’s Termination Fee Waiver (Photo courtesy of a reader)
SEOUL, July 7 (Korea Bizwire) — In the wake of a major cyberattack, SK Telecom has announced it will waive early termination fees for customers who switch mobile carriers—a move that has prompted fierce and controversial marketing tactics from its rivals.
On July 4, SK Telecom said it would exempt termination penalties for customers who had already ported their numbers following the April 18 data breach, as well as for those who switch by July 14. While aimed at minimizing disruption for affected users, the decision has inadvertently opened the floodgates for competitive maneuvering.
Rivals KT and LG Uplus have ramped up efforts to attract SKT subscribers, with some marketing materials using alarmist language such as, “If you don’t switch now, your child could be next,” and “Hacking starts with your data and ends with your entire life.” Critics argue that these fear-based messages are stoking unnecessary anxiety among consumers, particularly in the absence of evidence of secondary damage.
A joint public-private investigation released the same day as SKT’s waiver announcement confirmed that no follow-on harm from the cyberattack had been detected so far.
A retail store of SK Telecom Co. is seen in this photo taken June 24, 2025. (Yonhap)
Nevertheless, official and unofficial retail outlets are seizing the moment, touting slogans like “SKT termination fee waived! Bring your phone as is!” to lure customers. In some high-volume stores, dubbed “holy sites” in the telecom world, illegal subsidies have also surfaced.
Over the past two days, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 (256GB) has been offered as low as ₩50,000 to ₩150,000 (approx. $35–$105) with number portability, despite a listed price of ₩1.35 million. After factoring in the official subsidy, this implies unauthorized incentives nearing ₩800,000.
With the termination-fee waiver set to expire on July 14, industry analysts expect the subsidy war among Korea’s top three mobile carriers to intensify further in the coming days.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
