South Korean Lawmakers Call For Transparency In Smartphone Services, Seeking To Revise The Existing Electronic And Telecommunications Business Act

A group of lawmakers submitted a bill on Wednesday that aims to plea for the revision of the existing Electronic and Telecommunications Business Act that was amended on May 19, 2011.

According to its general provisions, the purpose of the act "is to contribute to the promotion of public welfare by encouraging sound development of telecommunications business and ensuring convenience to the users of telecommunications service through proper management of such business."

New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) representative Chyung Ho Joon says on Thursday that the bill submitted intends "to make it mandatory for all telecom carriers to provide detailed information of where customers can access each service," as reported by Korea Joongang Daily on Friday.

"Local smartphone holders have complained a lot because they were encouraged to subscribe with super-fast services without being notified where exactly these partially-available services actually work, whether at their home, work or their school," Chung says in a dispatch.

"The law will help consumers make more reasonable choices when choosing a telecom service that suits their lifestyle better."

Under the bill, Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning is obliged to make regular examination on the services being offered by various telecom carriers. Aside from that, the ministry should make sure that these telecom carriers abide the rules, after which, the ministry will report the findings to the National Assembly and the public.

Chapter 3, Article 33 of Electronic and Telecommunications Business Act states that, "A telecommunications business operator shall make compensations when he inflicts any damages on the users in the course of providing telecommunications services: Provided, That if such damages are the results of force majeure, or of intent or negligence of the users, the relevant liability for compensations shall be reduced or exempted."