The mandatory wire consultation process, which was essential when canceling a mobile phone subscription, will be eliminated. The government regarded the complicated mobile phone cancellation process as an 'absurd regulation' and decided to improve it immediately.
On the 3rd, the government discussed the results of the absurd regulation contest at a ministerial meeting presided over by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok. The absurd regulation contest is held with the aim of discussing improvement measures based on regulations that citizens find inconvenient in their daily lives or that do not meet general standards.
The grand prize (1st place) went to 'simplifying the mobile cancellation process.' Currently, subscribing to mobile services is simple. However, when canceling, one must go through a complicated process involving talking with a currency agent.
The Korea Communications Commission decided to adopt a principle of immediate cancellation processing. It plans to prepare a plan to abolish the mandatory wire cancellation consultation within this year.
The excellent prize (2nd place) was awarded to 'establishing a legal basis for providing apartment CCTV footage to law enforcement for crime reporting purposes.' Although the need for apartment CCTV footage was raised during the crime reporting process, the legal procedures for it were insufficient, causing confusion on site.
The Personal Information Protection Commission decided to establish a clear legal basis by the first half of 2026 to prevent confusion when using video information, including CCTV footage, for crime reporting purposes considering the specificity of such footage.
The restriction on the use of local love gift certificates at the Hanaro Mart in rural areas was also selected as an absurd regulation. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety took measures to allow the use of local love gift certificates at Hanaro Mart only in areas where there are no supermarkets nearby.
According to the Office for Government Coordination, a total of 1,061 proposals were received for this contest. The government selected 109 in-depth review tasks after consultations with relevant ministries and private experts. Among these, it decided to improve 51 regulations.
Son Dong-kyun, head of the Regulatory Adjustment Office at the Office for Government Coordination, said, 'We will continue to cooperate with relevant ministries to promote various regulatory rationalization policies to meet citizens' interests in regulatory improvement.'