The Korea Media and Communications Commission, together with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), said on the 4th it published a guide noting that practices that solicit ad consent using vague phrases such as "benefit alerts" and "information provision" could violate the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
The revised guide for spam prevention stipulates that when requesting consent to receive ads, it must be clearly indicated as "consent to receive advertising information" so users can recognize it unambiguously.
The Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) said that if wording is used that could mislead users into thinking it is not an advertisement, such as "benefit alerts," it is hard to regard it as explicit prior consent. The intent is that if the sender muddies the purpose or induces users to mistake it for consent to receive ads at the stage of seeking consent, it may be unlawful.
It also said that unilaterally providing coupons, mileage, or reward points and then sending notices about issuance or expiration may constitute commercial advertising information (spam), requiring prior consent.
For in-app notification (app push) ads, the opt-out process must not be complicated. The guide emphasized that users' right to refuse must be ensured by allowing them to move directly from the ad screen to the opt-out screen. The Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) said that methods that hide notification settings deep within the app in multiple steps are also subject to review.