South Korea to Launch Unified Subscription Service, Enhance Consumer Protections

Starting in September, a new service will consolidate subscription details from various platforms like OTT and cloud services, allowing users to view their subscription and payment history in one location. This initiative aims to simplify management, as currently, users must check each platform or card company individually. The service will leverage MyData, a financial information platform, for a comprehensive overview.

The government also plans to combat "dark patterns" – tactics that make unsubscribing difficult or encourage recurring payments. Detailed guidelines for businesses will be created by September, with a ban on such practices to be included in the Telecommunications Business Act by year-end. Violators will face penalties like corrective orders and fines. Additionally, by year-end, regulations will be revised to mandate the display of total costs for the entire subscription period, particularly as appliance subscriptions expand beyond water purifiers to refrigerators and air conditioners.

Improvements are also coming to leisure and cultural services. Starting in the first quarter of next year, venues will be required to provide advance notice for obstructed seating, such as "limited view" seats at concerts or sports events. Airlines that frequently cancel flights, especially due to high oil prices, will face stricter accountability. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will incorporate cancellation rates into evaluations for route allocation, penalizing airlines with high cancellation records.

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Subscription service management is being prepared for service launch in September by a specialized startup.

To address the growing number of pet-owning households and limited access to animal cremation facilities, a mobile pet funeral service will be introduced by the end of this year. This service will involve a vehicle equipped for pet cremation that can come to a user's home, handling the collection of the pet's remains and the delivery of ashes.

Furthermore, landlords will be obligated to disclose management fee details to tenants upon request, regardless of housing type. This aims to prevent landlords from exploiting management fees for "sneaky rent increases," a practice common in multi-family homes, villas, and officetels where such disclosures were not previously required. The government will amend the Housing Lease Protection Act in the latter half of this year to include this disclosure obligation and will also require real estate agents to explain joint management fees to tenants.

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We will continue to discover tasks that are close to daily life and cooperate closely with the National Assembly to enact the Basic Act on Service Industry Development as soon as the second half of the National Assembly is formed.