Ahead of 2G Shutdown, Seoul Expedition Opening... "We Got the Holy Site Coordinates"

2G to be phased out sequentially from July 6... Local residents visiting holy sites
Galaxy A Quantum sold for 50,000 won, LG Velvet for 200,000 won
Many cases of rejecting subscribers from other regions due to phone paparazzi concerns

On the 11th (local time), Samsung Electronics held the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, USA, unveiling its strategic smartphones, the 'Galaxy S20 series' and the second foldable phone, the 'Galaxy Z Flip.' On the 12th, citizens are experiencing the related products at the KT Plaza Gwanghwamun branch in Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] "I came to Seoul from the provinces after getting coordinates to switch to 2G."

As the 2G service termination approaches, consumers who want to switch to LTE or 5G are even traveling to Seoul to get higher subsidies.

Starting from the 6th of next month, SK Telecom's 2G service will be sequentially terminated, beginning with the Gangwon, Gyeongsang, Jeolla, Chungcheong, and Jeju regions. Consumers are traveling to Seoul in search of so-called "holy sites" that offer targeted subsidies to attract 2G switch subscribers.

According to the industry on the 30th, reviews from users visiting Seoul to find dealerships that provide subsidies for 2G switch subscribers are being posted on online communities. Instead of the provinces where subsidy policies are poor, they are visiting dealerships or sales points in Seoul to switch to LTE or 5G smartphones.

One dealership in Songpa-gu, Seoul, offered LG V50 or Velvet for 200,000 KRW and Galaxy A Quantum for 100,000 KRW under SK Telecom number portability conditions to 2G switch subscribers. A review was also posted about purchasing a Galaxy A Quantum for 50,000 KRW under device change conditions at a dealership in Gangnam-gu.

Although provincial 2G subscribers are visiting Seoul after seeing "holy site" reviews on online communities, there are cases of failure even after putting in effort. Policies change frequently, and some dealerships refuse to accept switch applications from subscribers in other regions due to concerns about crackdowns such as phone paparazzi enforcement.

A user living in Gyeongsang-do said, "There was no place near my home operating the policy, so I came after getting coordinates, but I was disappointed because they said they do not accept subscribers from this region," adding, "Regional dealerships often do not accept 2G switches or charge the full retail price."

SK Telecom received approval to terminate the 2G service on the 15th and is operating a program supporting 2G subscribers to switch to 3G, LTE, or 5G services until July 26. The support program options include ▲phone price support (300,000 KRW) and monthly fee support of 10,000 KRW (for 24 months) ▲or 70% discount on phone fees (for 24 months). If choosing phone price support, 2G subscribers can receive up to 300,000 KRW or the same subsidy as general subscribers when selecting devices with official subsidies of 300,000 KRW or more.

Meanwhile, 633 2G subscribers affiliated with the 010 Integrated Opposition Movement Headquarters filed a lawsuit requesting to continue using numbers starting with 011 or 017 even after the 2G service termination, but lost the appeal on the 24th. SK Telecom decided to provide a temporary 01X number retention service until June 2021.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.