The Ministry of Science and ICT (led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon) is rolling out a package of tangible support measures together with the country’s three major telecom carriers and platform companies to prepare for the surge in digital service use over the Chuseok holiday. The comprehensive plan spans free video calls, improved network quality, and cyber-crime prevention, as well as an overhaul of the overdue-payment system for telecom bills aimed at easing the burden on low-income and vulnerable groups.
 [코리안투데이] A view of the Ministry of Science and ICT building © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT said it has prepared a support package that ensures uninterrupted telecom and platform services during the Chuseok holiday, enhances user convenience, and further promotes mutual cooperation with small and mid-sized partner firms and small business owners. With communications, payments, and travel all concentrated during the holiday, the plan focuses on strengthening the stability of areas closely tied to everyday life.
The benefit citizens will notice first is free video calling. Over the four-day holiday (September 24-27), the three carriers will open up their carrier-provided video call services free of charge. Eligibility extends to all telecom users, including budget (MVNO) subscribers, allowing people to share holiday greetings with family and relatives without worrying about the cost. During last year’s Chuseok holiday (seven days), some 2.8 million people used free video calls for roughly 310,000 hours. However, internet-based services such as FaceTime and KakaoTalk’s Face Talk, along with prepaid phones, may incur data deductions or charges depending on the plan.
Platform companies are enhancing convenience features in their map apps. Tapping the ‘Emergency Care’ and ‘Holiday Free Parking’ tabs at the top of Naver Map and Kakao Map lets users see at a glance which hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies are open during the holiday and where emergency rooms are located, as well as the locations of free public parking lots. TMAP has added a traditional-market category to the quick-search under its ‘Where to Go’ tab, and Kakao Map has added one to the recommended search terms in its search tab, making it easy to find information on nearby traditional markets.
Network quality along holiday travel routes is also being improved. The ministry and the carriers have tripled the telecom equipment along key KTX corridors—the Gyeongbu Line (Pyeongtaek-Gimcheon·Gumi, Dongdaegu-Ulsan, Dongdaegu-Miryang) and the Honam and Jeolla Lines (Osong-Iksan, Iksan-Mokpo, Iksan-Jeonju)—raising average download speeds by more than 20 percent. The government’s quality assessment is scheduled for this December. The three carriers have added 305 base stations at major hubs such as highways, train stations, airports, and tourist sites, deployed 32 additional mobile base stations, and completed some 37,000 advance inspections.
Service stability and cyber-crime prevention are also being reinforced. Together with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), the ministry is stepping up cyber-threat monitoring of services closely tied to daily life—telecommunications, transportation, travel, parcel delivery, and shopping malls—and is building and operating an emergency response system with telecom, platform, and security firms. The three carriers are running a 24-hour emergency response team to monitor traffic spikes, security threats, and service disruptions in real time. Kakao will send phishing-prevention messages to some 27 million people, warning of schemes such as ‘team mission’ fraud, which lures victims into chat rooms with promises of high returns and then swindles their money. Cyber breaches can be reported via the website (www.boho.or.kr) or by dialing 118 (no area code required).
Mutual support for small partner firms and small business owners is being pursued in parallel. The three carriers are advancing a Chuseok win-win program worth roughly 300 billion won, including early payment of supplier invoices and dealer commissions and the operation of funding-support programs for partner companies. They are also improving the lowest-price bidding method at telecom construction sites and setting realistic safety-management budgets to boost on-site stability. The platform industry, too, is making early settlement payments to onboarded merchants and easing the burden on small business owners through advertising-cost support and payment-fee reduction promotions.
The overhaul of the overdue-payment system for telecom bills, designed to ease the burden on low-income and vulnerable groups, is a centerpiece of this package. Previously, customers who fell behind on their telecom bills could only receive voice calls and text messages during the incoming-service period. Going forward, they will be able to use essential everyday basic services—such as ‘identity verification’ and ‘phishing and spam blocking’—without disruption. The incoming-service period will be extended roughly fourfold, from 21 days to up to three months, and overdue micro-payments will be excluded as grounds for service suspension. In addition, the ministry will activate the ‘integrated financial and telecom debt adjustment’ program operated jointly with the Credit Counseling & Recovery Service to support the credit recovery and telecom reconnection of vulnerable groups. Through this program, 9,782 people had received telecom reconnection benefits as of the end of July 2026.
Beyond simply providing holiday convenience, this package is significant in that it allows citizens who struggle in daily life due to overdue payments and poor telecom conditions to stay connected with family and maintain essential services, at least during the holiday. The Ministry of Science and ICT said it will work closely with industry so that everyone can use digital services conveniently and with peace of mind during the holiday, and that it will continue to pursue digital policies that enhance convenience in people’s daily lives.
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
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