On April 4, ABC News in Seoul reported that:

South Korea’s major mobile operators abruptly launched the superfast fifth generation wireless technology services ahead of schedule Wednesday evening -- and claimed the world's first 5G service by releasing it an hour before Verizon. A tit-for-tat race between three South Korean telecommunications carriers and Verizon started when the South Korean government set the launch date for Friday, exactly a week before Verizon had planned to roll out its 5G services.

But by Wednesday afternoon local time, South Korea’s ministry of science and ICT was tipped from a source in the United States that Verizon would be attempting a surprise launch late in the evening, according to local reports. Alarmed by Verizon’s sudden change of plans, South Korean mobile carriers called for an emergency meeting with the ministry Wednesday evening, reports said. The three mobile carriers -- SK Telecom, Korea Telecom, and LG U+ -- promptly decided to launch their services immediately.