South Korea’s Broadcast Media Telecommunications Commission held a meeting on Feb. 23 with representatives of major consumer groups, including the Korea Consumer Federation and the Korea Women Consumers Association, to discuss user protection issues in the telecommunications market. Consumer groups said it was hard to feel the effects of repealing the handset subsidy law amid a muddled market. They called for greater transparency, prevention of unfair practices and stronger oversight.

KT has decided to waive early termination fees for all customers seeking to cancel mobile service contracts until Jan. 13, following an unauthorised small-payment hacking incident. The waiver will also apply retroactively to customers who already terminated contracts after Sept. 1. The move may spur number-porting competition as rivals weigh more aggressive subsidies, though industry watchers also point to a recent decline in porting volumes and limited customer churn after successive hacking disclosures.