"Overseas Direct Purchase of Used Electronic Products to Become Possible" Ministry of Science and ICT to Amend Radio Act Enforcement Decree

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] From now on, electronic products purchased directly from overseas ('jikgu') that are over one year old can be sold as used items.

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced that it will publicly notify the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Radio Waves Act from the 19th until next month 9th to enhance user convenience for broadcasting and communication equipment and to ease regulatory burdens on wireless station operators.

The main contents of this amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Radio Waves Act include allowing the secondhand trade of broadcasting and communication equipment personally imported from overseas.

First, MSIT has prepared and reflected in this amendment a plan to allow overseas direct purchase electronic products that have passed more than one year since importation to be sold as used items. Until now, overseas direct purchase electronic products exempted from conformity assessment (one unit per person) were not allowed to be sold secondhand, and the need for system improvement has been continuously raised. Earlier, MSIT proactively took measures through the Active Administration Committee last month to allow products over one year old from the import date to be sold as used, and detailed information related to this can be easily confirmed through guidelines.

Additionally, the criteria for reducing radio usage fees related to the eco-friendly maintenance of aged and congested wireless stations will also be improved. Due to the increase in wireless stations following the recent introduction of 5G and the aging of existing communication facilities, the need for maintenance of mobile communication wireless stations for urban aesthetics has been continuously raised. As an effort to resolve these issues, the three mobile communication companies have agreed to promote an 'Eco-friendly Maintenance Project' to maintain approximately 100,000 wireless stations by 2024. This amendment improves the calculation criteria for radio usage fees so that reductions can be received based on the maintenance implementation rate to ensure the effective implementation of the newly promoted eco-friendly maintenance project.

Furthermore, reflecting changes in the mobile communication network environment, the inspection fees for mobile communication wireless stations have been reduced, and measures to enhance the effectiveness of wireless station management have been implemented, such as postponing regular inspections (within one year) in case of disasters and excluding electromagnetic wave intensity measurements for wireless stations in restricted access areas like tunnels.

Choi Woo-hyuk, Director of the Radio Policy Bureau at MSIT, stated, “We have improved the system to increase convenience for the public using various ICT devices, reduce corporate burdens, and effectively manage the radio wave environment,” adding, “We will continue to discover and promote regulatory innovation tasks in the future.”

MSIT plans to collect various opinions submitted during the public notification period and proceed with the amendment after review by the Ministry of Government Legislation and others.