Fewer Messages, More Calls... Over 10 Spam Incidents per Person Monthly

Voice Spam Doubled in the Second Half of Last Year Compared to the First Half

While the volume of spam messages received has been declining, the number of spam calls has doubled. The Broadcasting and Media Communications Committee (BMCC) announced plans to establish a safer digital service environment by introducing new systems such as the Sender Qualification Certification System.

On May 14, the BMCC and Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) released a report on the status of spam distribution for the second half of last year, stating that the average monthly number of spam messages received per person was 10.35, an increase of 2.44 compared to the first half of the year (7.91). The number of voice spam messages received doubled to 4.26, up from 2.13 in the first half, which led to the overall increase in spam. The number of text spam messages received was 2.74, a decrease of 0.3 compared to the first half (3.04).

The total number of spam reports and detections was 23.67 million, a 39% decrease from the first half (38.83 million). While text spam reports and detections fell by 59.7% to 12.88 million, voice spam cases increased by 49% to 8.73 million.

The BMCC analyzed that the increase in voice spam is due to the expansion of voice-based telemarketing activities, such as telecommunications subscription solicitations, following the repeal of the Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act in July last year. The BMCC and KISA plan to collaborate with telecommunications service providers and device manufacturers to filter voice spam and promote reporting, producing guides in video and image formats for wider outreach.

The BMCC aims to block the distribution of spam through relevant systems such as the Sender Qualification Certification System. The system, approved by the BMCC in April, requires special value-added telecommunications service providers to obtain transmission qualification certification from message relay providers before sending large volumes of advertising messages.

Kim Jongcheol, Chairperson of the BMCC, stated, "We have continued to reduce text spam through public-private cooperation," and added, "We will swiftly implement the newly introduced Sender Qualification Certification System and the system for recovering unfair gains from illegal spam, creating an environment where the public can enjoy safe digital services."

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