KT Internet Quality Issues Raised
Government Requests Data Submission
Investigating Intentional Speed Reduction
Telecom Notification Obligations
Agreed to Improve Terms of Service
The three major mobile carriers
[Asia Economy reporters Minyoung Cha and Eunmo Koo] The KT internet quality issue raised by IT YouTuber ‘Itsub’ has spread throughout the telecommunications industry. Following public outrage over telecommunication services, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Communications Commission have begun investigating whether there was intentional misconduct and plan to address loopholes in user agreements that shifted the responsibility of speed measurement onto consumers.
Improvement of Internet Service User Agreements
According to related industry sources on the 23rd, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Communications Commission have requested KT to submit materials and are currently identifying the issues raised. They are examining whether telecom companies intentionally degraded internet speeds and whether any prohibited acts under the Telecommunications Business Act were violated during the internet installation process. Lee Sora, head of the User Protection Division at the Korea Communications Commission, stated, "We will first review customers using the 10-gigabit (GB) product, which involves about 10,000 people, and will sequentially examine other internet products as well. The specific inspection plan is still being developed, and on-site inspections will be conducted in some form."
The Ministry of Science and ICT is pushing for improvements to the user agreement system after comprehensively reviewing domestic conditions and overseas cases. Ultimately, after the inspection, telecom operators will be recommended to revise their agreements, and the operators will submit the amendments to the Ministry of Science and ICT for notification. Lee Jeongsun, head of the Telecommunications Usage System Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "Although there was already a compensation system for internet quality degradation, there was a loophole in that customers had to check themselves and telecom companies had no obligation to notify. We plan to supplement the standards and procedures for compensation."
This controversy escalated after the well-known IT YouTuber Itsub revealed on his YouTube channel on the 17th that the KT 10-gigabit internet product he uses was actually provided at a speed of only 100 megabits (MB) per second, which is one-hundredth of the promised speed. The unfriendly response of customer service staff, which seemed to shift the responsibility of speed measurement and fault onto customers, was also criticized.
"A System for Frequent Speed Measurements is Needed"
Minister of Science and ICT Choi Ki-young (second from left) responding at the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 22nd. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Sharp criticism was also directed at the Korea Communications Commission and the Ministry of Science and ICT, the responsible authorities, for their lax management and supervision, not only toward KT. Independent lawmaker Yang Jeongsuk demanded strong consumer measures during the full meeting of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee on the previous day, saying, "The 10-gigabit product is used by 178 people, but it is hard to understand that 13.5% (24 people) were affected by a simple error." People Power Party lawmaker Heo Eunah also criticized, "Paying 88,000 won per month, I expected airplane speed, but the speed is slower than a train."
Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT announced, "We will take necessary actions after conducting a fact-finding inspection and will also listen to expert opinions." Vice Chairman Kim Hyun of the Korea Communications Commission responded to Yang Jeongsuk’s question about whether all three major telecom companies would be fully investigated by saying, "We will." They also plan to examine whether other products such as 100 megabit, 500 megabit, and 1 gigabit have issues. According to statistics from the Ministry of Science and ICT, as of the end of February, the total number of ultra-high-speed internet subscribers in Korea reached 22.46 million. By company, KT accounts for the largest share at 41.1%, and the combined share of the three major telecom companies reaches 90.4%.
Experts pointed out the need to establish a system that can measure the average speed of internet products for consumers. Concerns about personal information infringement raised by some are also issues that can be resolved contractually and are actually within the realm of policy decisions. Kim Yonghee, a specialist at OpenRoute, argued, "A system should be established where speeds are measured periodically like TV ratings surveys and telecom operators immediately provide the data upon consumer request." Professor Choi Kyungjin of Gachon University’s Department of Law emphasized, "It is necessary to legislate procedures for random sampling tests conducted frequently. Even if logs are recorded, since the recording is done with the subscriber’s contractual consent, there is no personal information issue."
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