South Korea's ICT ministry on Tuesday said it has approved LG Uplus Corp.'s plan to phase out its 2G services by the end of June, which will mark the complete termination of the country's old telecommunications network.

LG Uplus, the country's third-largest mobile carrier, will begin closing its 2G network here on June 11 following the ministry's approval.

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's largest wireless provider, ended its 2G services in July last year, while rival KT Corp. shut down 2G operations back in 2012.

LG Uplus' exit will mark the end of 2G services in South Korea that first started in 1997.

LG Uplus said it will help its existing 2G users switch to LTE or 5G services by offering subsidies for mobile devices and their subscription plans. As of May, the company had 140,000 2G users.

Its 2G termination comes as local telecom firms try to expand their 5G networks.

As of the end of March, 5G subscriptions stood at 14.48 million, accounting for 20 percent of the total 71.1 million mobile subscriptions in the country, according to data from the ministry. (Yonhap)