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Seoul YWCA Consumer Information Center
Forum Held on Reasonable Use of Mobile Phones by Teenagers
The Seoul YWCA Consumer Information Center conducted a survey of mobile phone usage patterns among 1,000 teenagers. The center will hold a forum to discuss the reasonable use of mobile phone services among teenagers at the Seoul YWCA auditorium at Myung-dong, Seoul at 2PM on Sep. 30 (Fri.) based on the survey outcome.
The forum is designed to create a more reasonable mobile phone user culture by seeking ways to eradicate teenagers’ discontent with the mobile phone service. Your interest and participation are welcome.
▶ Contact: Choe Eun-ju, Secretary (02-3705-6065) |
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Seoul YMCA Citizens’ Mediation Center
Consumer Action Street Campaign Held to Reduce Mobile Phone Value-added Service Rates
The Ministry of Information and Communication should immediately lower the service rates charged for value-added mobile phone services!
The community is engaged in a fierce controversy over mobile phone service rates. The heavy burden shouldered by consumers has been repeatedly singled out for condemnation. The excessive basic rate and various value-added service rates continue to be charged by the mobile phone service operators despite the tremendous growth in sales and net profits. Government IT policy has so far been overly concentrated on the interest of the service operators and the extension of their service infrastructure. It is not an exaggeration to state that the excessive burden borne by consumers has been neglected while the mobile phone service companies have achieved growth in service and service quality. The growth of the local mobile phone service market may be attributed solely to the consumers’ active usage patterns and the costs borne exclusively by them, as evidenced by the figure of 38 million subscribers. Therefore, it is high time the government changed its policy trend by lowering the consumer burden and enhancing their convenience.
In this connection, the fact that Jin Dae-je, the Minister of Information and Communication, reversed his earlier statement on CID and SMS service rates during the recent National Assembly annual audit session of the ministry poses a serious problem. We clearly remember Minister Jin and his ministry stating, “We’ll integrate the basic rate with the rate of the CID service, which has become so popular” last June/July. Furthermore, we welcome Minister Jin’s position, expressed during the annual audit, that “We are considering the integration of the SMS service rate with the basic rate.” So, it is totally disappointing that the Ministry has again withdrawn its earlier statement, increasing distrust in the government administration. We strongly urge the ministry, responsible for the overall supervision of the mobile phone service in the country, to prepare responsible measures regarding the mobile phone service rates, which have become one of the key issues in the daily life of consumers.
Thus, the YMCA Seoul Citizens’ Mediation Center hosted a performance that criticized the ministry’s false promises in front of the YMCA on 27th (Tue.).
We plan to achieve free CID and SMS services by staging the campaign throughout the year together with regional YMCAs across the country and online user communities.
▶ Contact: Im Seung-mi and Kim Hui-kyeong, Secretary (02-725-1400) |
