Even the 3 Major Telecom Companies 'Unauthorized Use of Utility Poles'... 172.5 Billion Won in Penalties Over 6 Years

3 Major Telecom Companies Illegally Used Utility Poles for 6 Years
Only LG Uplus Pays 47.4 Billion KRW Penalty

An electric meter is installed in a multi-family house in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] It has been revealed that Korea's three major telecommunications companies, including KT and SK Telecom, paid hundreds of billions of won in penalties for unauthorized use of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) utility poles.

According to data submitted by KEPCO to Yang Geum-hee, a member of the People Power Party, on the 15th, KEPCO imposed penalties totaling approximately 172.5 billion won on domestic mobile carriers that used utility poles without authorization over about six years from 2016 to last year. It is reported that the telecom companies used some utility poles without permission due to the time and cost burdens associated with obtaining permits for installing communication lines.

By company, LG Uplus paid the highest penalty of 47.4 billion won. This was followed by General Telecommunications Operators (45.3 billion won), SK Broadband (29.9 billion won), SK Telecom (19.4 billion won), KT (16.7 billion won), and Dreamline (9.6 billion won). Administrative and public institutions also paid about 2.3 billion won in penalties. General Telecommunications Operators refer to comprehensive wired operators (39 companies), relay wired operators (46 companies), and transmission network operators (26 companies).

The number of penalty cases reached 1,444 trillion over the past six years. The term "jo" refers to the number of wire strands installed on the utility poles. Specifically, General Telecommunications Operators accounted for the largest number with 405 trillion strands, followed by LG Uplus (336 trillion), SK Broadband (238 trillion), SK Telecom (184 trillion), and KT (122 trillion).

Yang Geum-hee, member of the People Power Party. [Photo by Yang Geum-hee, Office of the People Power Party]

Among administrative and public institutions that used utility poles without authorization, the Seoul Yangcheon District Office was fined the most, with 117.2 million won. It was followed by Guro District Office (79.6 million won), Gangnam District Office (78.8 million won), Gangseo District Office (78.4 million won), and Yeongdeungpo District Office (75.9 million won).

Meanwhile, KEPCO has been simplifying the permit process for installing communication lines since 2020 to reduce unauthorized use of utility poles. KEPCO signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with mobile carriers and is currently working on rectifying unauthorized communication lines installed from October 2020 through December next year.

Representative Yang said, "Although telecom companies and public institutions have paid huge penalties, failure to comply with proper procedures cannot be justified," adding, "KEPCO and telecom companies must closely cooperate to reduce unnecessary expenses through compliance with procedures while maintaining prompt communication service activation."

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