To address the worsening situation, measures such as disaster roaming and public access to disaster Wi-Fi will be mobilized. Efforts are underway to reduce communication and internet fees for residents of designated special disaster areas.
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Jo Seong-mi – The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 25th that it has issued a “caution” level alert for broadcasting and communication disaster warnings due to the spread of damage to broadcasting and communication facilities from simultaneous large-scale wildfires.
Since the recent wildfires in the Gyeongnam area, the Ministry has maintained an “interest” level for broadcasting and communication disaster warnings and activated an emergency response system with mobile carriers and paid broadcasting service providers.
With the rapid spread of the wildfires causing additional damage to broadcasting and communication facilities and increasing concerns about a large-scale broadcasting and communication disaster, the alert level has been raised to “caution” in accordance with the manual.
The Ministry is operating a situation room for broadcasting and communication disaster response, receiving reports regularly, and maintaining a stance of readiness.
Additionally, if necessary, plans include mobilizing means such as disaster roaming and opening up disaster Wi-Fi.
Moreover, the Ministry announced support measures for the information and communication field for areas declared as special disaster zones due to large wildfires, specifically Ulsan Metropolitan City’s Ulju County, Gyeongsangbuk-do’s Uiseong County, and Gyeongsangnam-do’s Sancheong County and Hadong County.
Residents in these areas will see reductions in fees for communication services such as mobile, landline, and internet telephones, as well as high-speed internet. Efforts are also being made to reduce fees for paid broadcasting services such as IPTV, cable TV, and satellite broadcasting.
Mobile service fees will be reduced by 12,500 won per household line for affected households in designated special disaster areas.
Fees for landline and internet telephone services will see a 100% reduction in monthly charges, while high-speed internet fees will see a 50% reduction in monthly charges.
The reduction in fees for paid broadcasting services will be determined autonomously by each provider at a minimum of 50% off the basic fee for a month.
The Ministry will send out notifications reflecting the reduced charges at the beginning of next month, and those eligible for the reduction will receive benefits without the need for a separate application.