Naver, Kakao, and other supplementary communication service providers must notify users of service interruptions with a reduced notice period from the current 4 hours to 2 hours.
The Korea Communications Commission noted that the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Telecommunications Business Act, which strengthens the notification obligation of service providers during supplementary communication service interruptions and diversifies notification methods, was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 25th. The amendment to the enforcement decree was prompted by the interruption of Kakao services due to the fire at the Pangyo data center in 2022.
Previously, if telecommunications services, such as mobile communications, were interrupted for more than 2 hours, and supplementary communication services like social networking services (SNS) were interrupted for more than 4 hours, users had to be informed of the communication disruption, its causes, and countermeasures. Now, the obligation has been extended to notify users when supplementary communication services are interrupted for more than 2 hours.
Notification methods have been expanded to include SMS, email, website announcements, and additional platforms such as SNS. However, the current regulations maintaining the scope of application at a revenue threshold of 10 billion won and user numbers exceeding 1 million remain unchanged.
Lee Jin-sook, chair of the Korea Communications Commission, said, “With this amendment, users will be able to be informed about the interruption of supplementary communication services that are provided for free. We expect this will help prevent user harm and further protect the rights of citizens.”