South Korea: 2.1 million vulnerable citizens miss telecom discounts

Over 2.1 million vulnerable individuals in South Korea failed to receive eligible telecommunications fee discounts during the first half of this year, according to data from the Ministry of Science and ICT. This figure represents approximately one in five eligible people.

Under current telecommunications laws, beneficiaries such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, and low-income groups must manually apply for discounts through service centers, community centers, or online platforms. This requirement creates a barrier for those with limited digital literacy or information access.

Representative Hwang Jeong-ah of the Democratic Party noted that the number of non-beneficiaries has risen steadily from 1.8 million in 2022 to 2.1 million this year. It is estimated that the total missed discounts for these individuals amount to approximately 174.3 billion won. Hwang has proposed reforming the system to allow for automatic discount applications for those who consent to personal information sharing.