South Korea Tightens Spam Blockade Ahead of Chuseok Holiday

South Korea is intensifying its efforts to combat illegal spam messages as the Chuseok holiday approaches in September. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that a joint public-private consultative body held its sixth meeting to discuss and implement enhanced anti-spam measures. Major mobile carriers SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, along with Kakao, are collaborating on this initiative. The crackdown will focus on blocking mass text messages sent using invalid numbers and filtering spam originating from overseas. Additionally, the use of artificial intelligence-based filtering will be strengthened. These measures are designed to curb smishing (SMS phishing) and voice phishing attacks, thereby reducing harm to users. The meeting, hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Broadcasting and Media Communications Committee, and organized by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), included participation from various government bodies and tech companies. Discussions covered the progress of the 'Comprehensive Measures to Prevent Illegal Spam' launched in late 2024, focusing on five strategies and 12 detailed tasks. The participants also addressed recent environmental changes and future policy directions for spam prevention.