SK Telecom drops sharply in brand value in Q2 after USIM hacking

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest mobile carrier, lost its top spot in local brand value rankings following a data breach that affected its entire 25 million user base, a local brand valuation firm said Monday. SK Telecom earned 850.1 points on the BrandStock Top Index (BSTI) for the second quarter, dropping sharply to 40th place from 11th in the previous quarter, when it ranked the highest among local mobile carriers with 890.1 points, according to Brandstock. In contrast, rival KT Corp. rose to become the highest-valued telecom brand, climbing to 27th place with 872.9 points in the second quarter, up from 41st place three months earlier. LG Uplus Corp. came in 46th, narrowing the gap with former telecom leader SK Telecom. The brand reshuffling came after SK Telecom suffered a data breach in April, in which sensitive universal subscriber identity module (USIM) data was potentially leaked during an unidentified cyberattack on the company's servers. "Brand value has recently become more volatile, as it is increasingly influenced by various external issues," Brandstock said. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy smartphone brand retained the No. 1 spot on the BSTI, followed by the messaging app KakaoTalk and KB Kookmin Bank. A retail store of SK Telecom Co. is seen in this photo taken June 24, 2025. (Yonhap) brk@yna.co.kr(END)

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SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) — SK Telecom Co., South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, lost its top spot in local brand value rankings following a data breach that affected its entire 25 million user base, a local brand valuation firm said Monday.

SK Telecom earned 850.1 points on the BrandStock Top Index (BSTI) for the second quarter, dropping sharply to 40th place from 11th in the previous quarter, when it ranked the highest among local mobile carriers with 890.1 points, according to Brandstock.

In contrast, rival KT Corp. rose to become the highest-valued telecom brand, climbing to 27th place with 872.9 points in the second quarter, up from 41st place three months earlier.

LG Uplus Corp. came in 46th, narrowing the gap with former telecom leader SK Telecom.

The brand reshuffling came after SK Telecom suffered a data breach in April, in which sensitive universal subscriber identity module (USIM) data was potentially leaked during an unidentified cyberattack on the company’s servers.

“Brand value has recently become more volatile, as it is increasingly influenced by various external issues,” Brandstock said.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy smartphone brand retained the No. 1 spot on the BSTI, followed by the messaging app KakaoTalk and KB Kookmin Bank.