The Korea Communications Commission announced on the 13th that it has launched an investigation into mobile carrier KT's mass cancellation of pre-orders for Samsung Electronics' new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S25.
Previously, KT had promoted aggressive discount events, such as various coupons and trade-in rewards, during the Galaxy S25 pre-order period; however, as the number of users surged, it appears that a significant number of pre-orders were canceled. KT informed customers whose reservations were canceled that "the Galaxy S25 pre-order you applied for was a situation that arose due to the omission of the notice that it was 'limited to the first 1,000 applicants,' leading to the early termination of the first-come, first-served application and unfortunately resulting in cancellations."
However, consumers raised suspicions that KT might have hastily changed the event details due to difficulties in covering its marketing expenses. As consumer complaints grew stronger, the Korea Communications Commission began an investigation to determine whether KT violated regulations against prohibited actions under the Telecommunications Business Act.
The relevant regulation prohibits acts of misrepresenting or overstating important matters to attract users. If any violations of prohibited acts are found as a result of the investigation, corrective orders and penalty surcharges may be imposed.