[Column] Cyworld's 'Bitter Farewell'

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] "It feels like an old album or diary has disappeared. Although it was an old house, I waited because I knew Samsung had invested and remodeling would happen."

As Cyworld has been officially closed, users’ sighs are deepening. It is still in a login error state. Some customers complained, "I have been sending emails to the customer center for years but received no response." A petition titled "Please help us back up Cyworld photos" gathered 1,036 supporters, and on the 3rd of this month, a new petition titled "Please help revive Cyworld" was posted.

There are rebuttals such as "It is just a private company stopping its service. Users should have prepared in advance," but Cyworld cannot escape responsibility. Although rumors of closure circulated during the access blocks in October and November last year, Cyworld never gave an official explanation about ending the business. Many users could not find their photos due to login errors.

At its peak, Cyworld had 30 million registered users and 20 million monthly visitors, making it a 'native SNS.' Considering that the current popular SNS platforms like Facebook and Instagram have around 10 million monthly users, it shows how dominant Cyworld’s market share was at the time. However, 20 years later, it is facing fierce protests from users due to an unprepared service termination.

The Cyworld controversy also requires reflection from the perspective of a 'management blind spot.' Under current law, it implicitly shows the damage that can be caused by an unprepared platform business termination by a 'value-added telecommunications service provider.' Both the Telecommunications Business Act and the Information and Communications Network Act impose no special conditions or obligations on the market entry or exit of value-added telecommunications service providers. It is also difficult for a 'third party' to recover sensitive personal databases. This is a clear example showing that internet platform businesses with a subscriber base must fulfill their responsibilities to users even when terminating services.

Comprehensive review of Cyworld’s own revival and normalization efforts, as well as government user protection measures, should be conducted to ensure a stable service termination. It is important to remember the words of a Cyworld user: "Even if it was an old and worn house, we grew attached to it, and for those who stayed until the end, how can you suddenly give a breakup notice like this?"