'In the Mobile Era'... Telecom Companies Announce 'Correction Orders' Only for PCs

Three Major Telecoms and SKB Publicize Correction Orders Online and Offline
Mobile Posting by One Company Only... Others on PC Only
User 'Right to Know' Violated
Broadcasting Commission: "Will Consider System Improvements if Needed"

Three major mobile carriers and SK Broadband announced that they received corrective orders for false advertising, but it turned out that mobile platforms, which have many users, are not subject to mandatory disclosure. Due to ambiguous standards for online disclosure of corrective orders, these companies did not notify users through mobile apps or websites, leading to criticism that the system's purpose of providing accurate information to users has been undermined.

A public notice stating that an SK Telecom agency received a corrective order from the Korea Communications Commission for violating the Telecommunications Business Act is posted.
Photo by Hwang Seoyul chestnut@

According to the industry on the 26th, SK Telecom, KT, LG Uplus, and SK Broadband recently announced online and offline that they received corrective orders from the Korea Communications Commission for violating the Telecommunications Business Act.

Previously, on the 22nd of last month, the KCC decided to impose a total fine of 1.471 billion KRW and corrective orders including improvements in work procedures on these companies, citing that their false, exaggerated, and deceptive advertising related to bundled broadcasting and telecommunications products infringed on user interests. Accordingly, LG Uplus disclosed the related information online and offline for three days starting from the 20th, and the other three companies did so starting from the 21st.

Popup window announcing the correction order posted on KT's PC homepage on the 23rd / Photo by KT homepage capture

However, the online disclosure methods differed among the companies. Only SKT announced the corrective order through its mobile app, which has better user accessibility, while the other three companies posted related pop-up windows only on their PC websites. SKT also did not separately notify users via its mobile web.

This is because the authorities' guidelines on online disclosure methods are vague. The Korea Communications Commission's notice on the "Standards for Disclosure of Corrective Orders" states only that disclosure can be made "through internet media or the respondent's homepage." An industry insider said, "They only require posting on the homepage, and there is no separate standard that it must be posted on the mobile homepage."

This differs from the Fair Trade Commission, which also requires companies to disclose corrective orders. The FTC clearly specifies the online media on which companies must disclose. The "Operational Guidelines on Disclosure of Corrective Orders from the FTC" state "internet media or the respondent's website (including mobile applications)." An FTC official said, "We consider consumer accessibility and practical benefits when deciding the disclosure media," adding, "The resolution specifies which media must be used for disclosure."

There are many opinions that online disclosure should be more specific as mobile media usage increases. This is because disclosed information is an important consideration for users when choosing telecommunications services.

A KCC official said, "As mobile usage has recently increased, it is necessary to actively disclose (on mobile) as well," and added, "We will review if there is a need for system improvement."