"Practical Help" vs "Tax Waste": Controversy Over Seoul City's Public Wi-Fi 'Kkachion'

Seoul City to Launch 'KkachiOn' Pilot Service Next Month
Ensuring Support to Prevent Communication Costs from Leading to Digital Exclusion
Ministry of Science and ICT: "Local Governments Providing Private Network Wi-Fi Is Illegal"
Administrative Sanctions and Legal Actions May Follow

Seoul City announced on the 26th that starting next month, it will pilot the public Wi-Fi service 'Kkachion' in 5 out of 25 autonomous districts. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Seoul City announced that starting next month, it will begin a pilot service of the public Wi-Fi 'Kkachion,' which any Seoul citizen can use for free, sparking conflicts surrounding the initiative. While some respond that it will be helpful in daily life, others express concerns about service deterioration due to lack of management and supervision. In particular, the controversy is intensifying as disagreements have arisen between the Ministry of Science and ICT and Seoul City over the legality of the project.

On the 26th, Seoul City held a press briefing and announced that from the 1st of next month, free public Wi-Fi services will sequentially start in Seongdong and Guro districts, followed by Eunpyeong, Gangseo, and Dobong districts in mid-next month.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, as online and non-face-to-face services have become normalized across society, the city's goal is to meet the rapidly increasing data demand and ensure that the burden of communication costs does not lead to 'digital exclusion' and 'digital divide,' guaranteeing the fundamental right to communication universally enjoyed by all.

Kkachion is part of the 'S-Nnet' public Wi-Fi project promoted by Seoul City since September last year, providing free Wi-Fi through a self-operated network in public areas within Seoul. The plan is to invest 102.7 billion KRW by 2022 to build a Wi-Fi network throughout Seoul.

Once Kkachion is implemented, Wi-Fi functionality will be available throughout public living areas such as parks, walking trails, traditional markets, and major roads. In particular, the city plans to establish an integrated public Wi-Fi management center to unify the management system and undertake integrated quality control.

This public Wi-Fi service initiative by the city is interpreted as a strategy to reduce line usage fees that would be paid if the service were entrusted to telecommunications companies. The line usage fees are reportedly tens of billions of KRW annually.

Meanwhile, among citizens, opinions are sharply divided between welcoming the service and viewing it as a waste of tax money.

A 27-year-old office worker A, who stated that they reside in Seoul, said, "It seems like a good plan. Now I can comfortably use the internet in public places or tourist attractions," adding, "It was inconvenient when I urgently needed to check bus or subway apps after using up my data, but if public Wi-Fi is introduced, it will be helpful in daily life," expressing a positive evaluation.

Seoul City announced on the 26th that starting next month, it will pilot the public Wi-Fi service 'Kkachion' in 5 out of 25 autonomous districts. Beginning November 1st in Seongdong and Guro districts, the service will be sequentially introduced in Eunpyeong, Gangseo, and Dobong districts from mid-November. Photo by Yonhap News

On the other hand, criticism arises that building another self-operated network by Seoul City despite the already extensive communication network in Seoul is a waste of taxpayers' money. There are also concerns that service deterioration could lead to various security incidents.

Another office worker B (35) said, "Public Wi-Fi is already installed on public transportation, so I don't understand why it needs to be expanded. I wish they would fix the problems with the currently operating subway and bus Wi-Fi, such as connection failures and disconnections," adding, "Also, this plan says that Seoul City will handle all management and inspections, but realistically, that seems impossible. The service quality might decline, and citizens may not use it. In this situation, expanding Wi-Fi is a waste of tax money," criticizing the plan.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Science and ICT immediately opposed the city's pilot project and announced legal action, deepening the controversy.

The Ministry of Science and ICT argues, based on Article 7 of the Telecommunications Business Act, that "local governments cannot operate telecommunications businesses." They oppose the project due to concerns about violating current laws and overlapping investments.

The Ministry plans to suspend usage immediately upon confirming illegality and impose fines of up to 1 billion KRW. If improvements are not made, they intend to file criminal charges (prosecution) against Seo Jeong-hyeop, the current acting mayor of Seoul, the Smart City Policy Officer, the Information and Communication Security Officer, and other responsible officials.

In response to the Ministry's stance, Seoul City stated that the Kkachion project is not a profit-oriented business operation and therefore does not violate current laws. It is a non-profit public service without charging fees, and mediation of others' communications is possible when necessary for public interest.

The conflict over public Wi-Fi also divides opinions in the political sphere. At the National Assembly audit of the Ministry of Science and ICT held on the 7th, Jo Seung-rae of the Democratic Party said, "The public Wi-Fi project is meaningful in balancing existing networks like highways (mobile networks) and national roads (public Wi-Fi)," adding, "Cooperation is needed between the government-led and local government-led initiatives. Please resolve the conflict with Seoul City."

On the other hand, Jeong Hee-yong of the People Power Party expressed opposition to Seoul City's public Wi-Fi service initiative, stating, "There is a possibility of violating the Telecommunications Business Act, national resource duplication issues, and it could cause confusion in systematic backbone network management."

Meanwhile, as the controversy over the public Wi-Fi service continues, Seoul City released a related statement.

Lee Won-mok, Seoul City's Smart City Policy Officer, said at a briefing held at Seoul City Hall on the 26th, "This is being promoted to dramatically enhance Seoul's urban competitiveness and proactively guarantee citizens' fundamental communication rights," explaining the background of implementing the service.

Regarding the overlapping investment controversy, he explained, "If overlapping investment were a concern, only one telecom company would be needed, but there are three telecom companies," adding, "It serves complementary functions for various situations, and Seoul City is not just focusing on Wi-Fi but is heading toward a complex administrative path in the digital society."

He also said, "(The Kkachion project) aligns with the government's key digital New Deal projects," and requested "active cooperation from the National Assembly and government ministries for the successful promotion of the public Wi-Fi construction project."

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