The breach, which the telecom giant blamed on a malware attack, has sparked fears among its 23 million users regarding the potential compromise of their personal and financial data.
As a result, customers have been visiting the company's outlets to replace their mobile phone's Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) cards, an option the company is offering at no cost.
"What I realised over this is that we've considered it an IT security matter and had people in that area handle it”, Tae-won said.
"I believe we need to look at this as a matter of national defence, not just (data) security."
The move follows SK Telecom suspending new subscriber sign-ups as a response to the data breach.
“From May 5, our 2,600 retail stores will halt new subscriptions and focus on replacing universal subscriber identity module (USIM) cards," CEO Ryu Young-sang said.
“The suspension will remain in place until we establish measures to address the USIM supply shortage. Mobile number portability (MNP) transfers from other mobile network operators will also be suspended.”
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