Park Chung-kwon "Measures Needed Such as Plan Price Reduction and Additional Charges Grace Period"
A banner advertising mobile phone discounts is hanging at a mobile phone store in Seoul. This is unrelated to the article content. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
Last month, the population categorized as 'resting'?those who neither sought jobs nor worked?reached an all-time high, while the overdue mobile phone bill amount for people in their 20s and 30s exceeded 11.2 billion KRW.
According to data on overdue wireless communication fees from domestic telecom operators received by Park Chung-kwon (People Power Party), a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee, from the Ministry of Science and ICT, as of the end of July, the number of overdue mobile phone bills for people in their 20s was 39,839 cases, with an overdue amount of 5.828 billion KRW, the highest in both count and amount among all age groups.
For those in their 30s, the number of overdue cases was 39,047, with an overdue amount of 5.434 billion KRW, ranking second among all age groups. Combined, the 20s and 30s accounted for 78,886 overdue cases and an overdue amount of 11.262 billion KRW. Additionally, those under 20 had 6,923 cases and 846 million KRW overdue; people in their 40s had 39,684 cases and 5.164 billion KRW; those in their 50s had 36,083 cases and 4.249 billion KRW; people in their 60s had 23,171 cases and 2.591 billion KRW; and those aged 70 and above had 17,039 cases and 1.406 billion KRW overdue.
The high number and amount of overdue mobile phone bills among people in their 20s and 30s compared to other age groups is interpreted as due to many students or irregular workers with unstable income. Especially amid the ongoing economic downturn, the number of young people who have given up on job hunting and are resting has increased. According to Statistics Korea, the population that neither works nor seeks jobs, categorized as 'resting,' reached a record high of 2.567 million last month, with those in their 20s numbering 438,000, a 14% increase compared to the same month last year.
Assemblyman Park emphasized, “In the severe job search difficulties and unemployment situation faced by the 20s and 30s generations, the burden of communication fees inevitably weighs more heavily,” adding, “It is necessary to actively expand affordable rate plan benefits for young people who consume large amounts of data and to implement measures to reduce their communication fee burdens, such as postponing the imposition of additional charges on overdue fees.”
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