Kim Hong-il "Repealing the Dantong Act Brings Greater Welfare to Consumers... Concurrent Revision of Enforcement Decree"

Broadcasting Commission Chairman New Year Press Conference
Simultaneous Revision of Enforcement Decree if National Assembly Delay Occurs
Agreement on the Necessity of Platform Law Enactment

Kim Hong-il, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, stated, "We have reached the conclusion that abolishing the 단통법 (Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act) could provide greater welfare to consumers." However, he also expressed his intention to revise the enforcement decree in case the National Assembly delays the passage of the abolition bill.

Kim Hong-il, nominee for Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, is arriving at the office prepared for the confirmation hearing near the Government Complex Gwacheon in Gyeonggi on the 13th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

At a New Year's press briefing held at the Government Complex Gwacheon on the 5th, Chairman Kim responded to a question asking for the plan to abolish the 단통법 by saying, "The 단통법 was created in 2014 to address the information gap among users and excessive competition among service providers."

He added, "However, there has been no improvement in user welfare regarding actual services or rate plans," and said, "Since device prices have become very expensive, after much consideration, we have come to the conclusion that abolishing the 단통법 could provide somewhat greater welfare to consumers."

Chairman Kim stated, "We are making efforts toward the National Assembly to abolish the 단통법, and in parallel, we believe that the enforcement decree should be revised to encourage subsidy competition among telecom companies."

He further explained, "While abolishing the 단통법 is the surest method, there will be regulations that need to be maintained. If consultations with the National Assembly do not go well, we will have to amend the enforcement decree, but it is difficult to disclose specific details."

When asked about his key projects about a month after taking office, he replied, "We will focus on and resolve issues related to people's livelihoods." He continued, "There are many pending issues to handle," adding, "We will address and resolve them from the perspective of the public and people's livelihoods."

Regarding the 'Platform Fair Competition Promotion Act' being promoted by the Fair Trade Commission, he agreed on the necessity of legislation. He said, "The dominant position and unfair practices of deep-tech platform companies cause disadvantages in service fees or prices for small businesses and users, so these must be corrected, and I agree that government roles and legislation are necessary."

He also conveyed, "We are minimizing concerns about regulatory issues or damages to domestic platform companies, and within that scope, the Fair Trade Commission and related ministries are consulting and discussing."

When asked about plans for the 'five-member structure of the Korea Communications Commission,' he deferred to the National Assembly. He said, "It is desirable for the Korea Communications Commission to make decisions as a five-member body," and added, "I hope the National Assembly will do so quickly."

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