[Edaily Reporter Lee So-hyun] It has been revealed that the level of user protection services provided by telecommunications operators last year either declined or remained stagnant compared to the previous year.

The Korea Communications Commission held its 17th plenary meeting on the 12th and deliberated on and approved the “2025 Evaluation Results of Telecommunications Operators’ User Protection Efforts.”

This evaluation is conducted annually to encourage operators’ voluntary efforts to protect users, such as preventing harm to telecommunications service users and promptly addressing complaints.

This year’s evaluation covered a total of 47 operators across 12 service sectors, including basic telecommunications and value-added telecommunications, taking into account factors such as the size of the user base and the frequency of complaints. Excluding duplicates, there were 34 companies. Unicoms (MVNO), Temu (e-commerce), Coupang Eats (delivery), TVING and Coupang Play (OTT), and Chizichik (live streaming) were included in the evaluation for the first time this year.

The evaluation criteria included the adequacy of the user protection management system, compliance with relevant laws and regulations, performance in damage prevention activities, handling of user feedback and complaints, and other user protection measures. The total score is out of 1,000 points.

Excluding the eight operators selected as new evaluation targets in the past two years—who were excluded from the average score calculation—the overall average for the remaining 39 operators was 873.3 points. This is 13.4 points lower than the previous year.

By grade, the results were as follows: 5 “Very Excellent,” 20 “Excellent,” 7 “Good,” 4 “Average,” and 3 “Inadequate.”

By sector, in mobile communications, #LG Uplus received a “Very Excellent” rating, moving up one grade from the previous year. #KT maintained its “Excellent” rating from the previous year, while #SK Telecom dropped one grade to “Excellent.”

In the high-speed internet sector, LG Uplus received a “Very Excellent” rating. LG HelloVision, KT, D’Live, SK Broadband, SK Telecom, and ktHCN were rated “Excellent.” Among these, KT, SK Broadband, SK Telecom, and ktHCN each dropped one grade from the previous year. CMB received a “Fair” rating, down one grade.

In the MVNO sector, SK Telink received a “Very Excellent” rating. Korea Cable Telecom, LG HelloVision, KB Kookmin Bank, and ktM Mobile were classified as “Excellent.” Korea Cable Telecom and LG HelloVision each dropped one notch from the previous year. MediaLog and kt SkyLife received “Good” ratings, while FreeTelecom received a “Poor” rating.

In the app market sector, no operator received a “Very Excellent” rating. One Store and Samsung Electronics maintained their “Excellent” ratings. Google Play Store was rated “Good,” down one notch from the previous year. Apple received a “Average” rating, down one notch from the previous year.

In the search sector, Naver (#NAVER) received a “Very Excellent” rating, up one notch from the previous year. #Kakao-Daum maintained an “Excellent” rating, while Google received a “Fair” rating, down one notch.

In the social media category, Naver Band and KakaoTalk were rated “Excellent.” Meta’s Facebook and Instagram both received “Inadequate” ratings. Instagram was included in the main evaluation for the first time this year after undergoing pilot evaluations for the past two years.

In the OTT and live streaming sector, Google’s YouTube and Netflix both received a “Good” rating. YouTube moved up one notch from the previous year, while Netflix rose two notches due to its active participation in expert consultations and improved understanding of the evaluation criteria. #SOOP maintained the same “Average” rating as the previous year.

In the shopping and delivery sector, Naver Shopping maintained its “Very Excellent” rating. 11st received an “Excellent” rating. Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baemin, dropped one notch from the previous year to receive a “Good” rating. Coupang maintained its “Good” rating.

In the secondhand trading sector, Danggeun received an “Excellent” rating. In the mobility sector, Kakao Mobility maintained its “Excellent” rating.

The KCC noted that the ratings of major telecommunications carriers had generally declined, assessing that appropriate responses are needed when actions that harm user interests—such as service suspensions—occur, and that efforts are required to minimize harm during the service subscription and usage processes.

While value-added telecommunications service providers generally maintained levels similar to the previous year, the analysis indicated that more efforts are needed to prohibit the distribution of information that infringes on rights and illegal content, as well as to provide remedies and prevent recurrence in cases of harm caused by false or exaggerated product information.

Starting this year, a new evaluation of value-added telecommunications providers’ efforts to protect business users—such as small business owners, creators, and delivery riders—was introduced. The evaluation results for these indicators were generally poor, indicating a need for continuous improvement.

The case of KT HCN’s ultra-high-speed internet service was selected as a best practice for introducing “One-Call Customer Service,” which connects customers directly to a representative without going through complex transfer steps when contacting the call center.

The case of KT SkyLife’s MVNO service was also cited as a best practice for implementing policies to prevent identity theft and fraudulent subscriptions, such as analyzing patterns of subscription lines used for criminal activities to restrict multiple-line subscriptions by the elderly and blocking self-activation via overseas IP addresses.

Naver Shopping was also included among the best practices for expanding its counterfeit detection program, which involves direct user participation, to foster a transparent trading environment.

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) plans to notify operators of their evaluation grades, scores, areas for improvement, and best practices to encourage voluntary improvements. Operators receiving a "average" grade or lower will be guided to seek expert consultation to help them enhance their level of user protection.

However, considering the major data breach incidents involving major telecom companies that occurred in 2025, the Commission decided not to grant the penalty reduction benefit—normally awarded to businesses rated “Excellent” or higher—or to postpone it until the facts regarding the suspected breaches are confirmed.

Kim Jong-cheol, Chairman of the Commission, stated, “As new technologies such as artificial intelligence spread rapidly and the service environment becomes increasingly complex and diverse, the patterns of user harm are also becoming more complex and widespread.” He added, “Service providers must devote their full efforts to establishing a proactive harm prevention system that goes beyond reactive measures.”

He emphasized, “The KCC will also do its utmost to ensure that service providers’ user protection capabilities are substantially enhanced through the development of sophisticated evaluation metrics and tailored expert consultations.”