The Broadcast Media and Telecommunications Commission said on Tuesday it has published for the first time a user protection policy guide for operators of online subscription-based services.

Online subscription-based services refer to digital content and online video services (OTT) under the Telecommunications Business Act. The commission said it published the guide as user complaints and harm cases increase due to automatic payments and complicated cancellation procedures.

The guide includes rules on prohibited acts to note when providing subscription services, as well as key regulatory cases. It divides the service structure into promotion and sign-up, use and cancellation stages, and analyses user interfaces by stage to describe types of harm.

Examples of major legal violations include inducing users to sign up for paid services without their consent, concealing or omitting important matters such as fees and payment terms, suspending core functions or changing important matters without justifiable reasons, imposing excessive penalty fees, and restricting cancellations without justifiable reasons.

Kim Jong-cheol (김종철), chair of the commission, said, "Sustainable growth of the subscription economy must be based on trust between operators and users." He added, "We will first seek to encourage voluntary improvement efforts by operators through the guide, but we plan to take strict measures under relevant laws and regulations against repeated or serious legal violations."