Dispute mediation filings related to telecommunications services exceeded 2,000 cases last year, marking the highest number since the telecommunications dispute mediation system was launched in 2019. The surge is attributed to a series of large-scale cyberattacks on telecom carriers last year.
The Broadcasting, Media and Communications Commission announced on the 4th the "2025 Telecommunications Dispute Mediation Filing and Processing Results," which covers disputes between telecommunications service providers offering wired and wireless services and their customers, handled by the Telecommunications Dispute Mediation Committee.
According to the announcement, total telecommunications dispute mediation filings reached 2,123 cases last year, an increase of 590 cases (38.5%) compared to 2024. This represents a nearly 1,270% increase from the 155 cases filed when the system was first implemented in 2019, with significant annual growth continuing.
"The telecommunications dispute mediation system, which helps resolve inconveniences arising from the use of wired and wireless services, is now in its seventh year, and the increased awareness and accessibility of the system appear to have contributed to this growth," the commission said.
However, the resolution rate for telecommunications disputes last year fell slightly by 3.6 percentage points to 79.3% compared to the previous year. This decline is attributed to carriers rejecting mediation decisions by the Telecommunications Dispute Mediation Committee regarding the "SKT Cyber Breach Incident" and "KT Galaxy S25 Pre-order Cancellation" cases, which affected the overall resolution rate.
By category, of the total 2,123 cases, contract-related disputes accounted for the largest share with 1,122 cases (52.8%), followed by disclosure of important information at 478 cases (22.5%), other categories at 359 cases (16.9%), service quality at 143 cases (6.7%), and terms of service at 21 cases (1.0%).
Contract-related disputes, which comprised the largest portion, mainly involved issues arising during the contracting, usage, and termination of telecommunications services, as well as disputes related to non-disclosure or false disclosure of important information. Key causes included insufficient explanations by retail outlets and customer centers regarding contract terms, false and exaggerated advertising, and complex subsidy payment conditions.
Among the four major carriers in the wireless segment, SK Telecom had the highest number of filings with 507 cases (35%), or 1.6 cases per 100,000 subscribers. KT had 307 cases (1.5 per 100,000 subscribers), and LG Uplus had 276 cases (1.3 per 100,000 subscribers).
In the wired segment, LG Uplus had the most filings with 185 cases (27.4%), or 3.1 cases per 100,000 subscribers. KT had 167 cases (0.9 per 100,000 subscribers), SK Broadband had 121 cases (2.3 per 100,000 subscribers), and SK Telecom had 74 cases (2.1 per 100,000 subscribers).
The top five MVNOs (budget phone operators) with the most dispute filings were KT Skylife (78 cases), KT M Mobile (64 cases), LG HelloVision (43 cases), Korea Cable Telecom (31 cases), and Medialog (16 cases), unchanged from the previous year.
For resolution rates among the four major carriers in the wireless segment, SK Telecom ranked highest at 83.1%, followed by LG Uplus (73.1%) and KT (72.1%). In the wired segment, SK Broadband and KT tied for the highest rate at 83.3%, followed by LG Uplus (73.9%) and SKT (73.7%).
Based on these results, the Telecommunications Dispute Mediation Committee plans to urge carriers to voluntarily participate and cooperate in preventing damage and improving post-incident remediation for frequently occurring cases of identity theft and phone rental fraud during non-face-to-face mobile phone activation, which have low resolution rates despite their frequency.
"As dispute filings are increasing significantly due to increasingly complex and diverse telecommunications services, we will promptly establish the 4th Telecommunications Dispute Mediation Committee to expedite consumer damage relief," said Kim Jong-cheol, Chairman of the Broadcasting, Media and Communications Commission. "We also plan to pursue legislative amendments to improve the telecommunications dispute mediation system, including the introduction of a collective dispute mediation system and strengthening carriers' obligations to submit documentation."