If You Cannot Use Your Internet After Moving, You May Cancel Without a Penalty in Korea — Three Cases and the Documents You Need

Three cases where the penalty can be waived

Moving alone does not make a penalty disappear. If you can carry the internet to the new home and still cancel, the general rule is that you pay the discount refund for the remaining contract period. Waivers or reductions come up mainly in three cases. First, the new address is outside the service area, so the line cannot be moved. Second, the new building is a multi-unit building with an exclusive contract with another carrier. Third, the line can be moved but the speed is under half of what the contract promised. In all three the problem is not the customer's doing, but the basis and the size of the waiver differ.

When the new address cannot be connected

Consumer counseling cases explain the Fair Trade Commission's consumer dispute resolution standard for internet service to mean that if installation is impossible for reasons on the carrier's side during the contract term and you can no longer use the service, you do not have to pay the penalty. What matters here is that the carrier has to confirm that the move really cannot be done. Do not stop at asking an agent by phone. File a transfer request first and keep the denial or the stated reason as a text message or a customer-center record.

When the building has an exclusive contract with one carrier

People who moved into buildings where the whole building uses only one carrier's network, such as officetels, small villa units and knowledge industry centers, sometimes could not take their old internet with them. The Korea Communications Commission added a prohibited-practice type to the Enforcement Decree of the Telecommunications Business Act to stop buildings from limiting service choice, and according to press reports, since April 2022 the discount refund for cancelling for this reason is not charged to the customer but settled between the old carrier and the exclusive carrier. Lodging such as hotels, resorts, motels and gosiwon rooms is reported to be excluded. All three carriers have said they will reduce the charge if you submit documents proving the move and the exclusivity, but there have been reports that customers who did not know about the system kept paying the penalty.

Check which items are waived

As reported, the waiver covers the contract-period discount refund, the bundle discount refund and the equipment-rental discount refund, while partner services such as security and CCTV and separate promotion penalties are excluded. This scope may differ by carrier terms and by how the rule is carried out, so before you file the cancellation it is safer to ask by text or email for an itemized statement of what is waived and anything you would still owe. Penalties from the moving company are a separate matter; see the article on the moving-contract deposit and cancellation penalty.

When the speed is under half of the contract speed

Sometimes the line can be moved but the speed at the new address is under 50% of the speed promised when you signed. Material introducing the consumer dispute resolution standard says that in this case you can cancel by paying only 50% of the penalty. Speed shortfalls are easy to dispute. Save screenshots of several measurements taken over a wired connection, with the times, and keep any record of a technician's visit.

Documents to submit and substitutes

The usual proof is a resident registration certificate showing the new address. If you have not yet reported your move-in or cannot change your address, consumer counseling cases say documents such as a real estate lease, a home purchase contract, or a confirmation of actual residence from a village head or neighborhood leader can stand in. If you are unsure of the order for the move-in report, read why the move-in report and fixed date should be done on moving day first. One warning: in the same counseling case, internet service required proof of the move by the subscriber of record, not the person actually using it. If the line is in a parent's or acquaintance's name, you may need the subscriber's address-change documents as well. For exclusive buildings, documents showing the exclusivity were reportedly also requested, and the application window after cancellation is said to be short, so ask how to apply as soon as your moving date is set.

If the carrier refuses or bills the penalty

If a penalty is billed even though a waiver reason exists, gather the date you filed the cancellation, the record of what was said, the texts you received and the billing statement. First ask the carrier's customer center again in writing to apply the waiver, and if that does not resolve it you can use the Korea Consumer Agency 1372 line or the telecom dispute mediation process. The process and timeline are summarized in the article on the 60-day telecom dispute mediation.

Summary of the steps

Step 1: once your moving date is set, file a transfer-feasibility request first. Keep any denial as a text or a record.

Step 2: ask the building manager or landlord whether the new building is a multi-unit building with an exclusive contract. If it is, get documents that prove it.

Step 3: prepare the resident registration certificate or a substitute document, plus documents for the subscriber of record.

Step 4: when you file the cancellation, get in writing an itemized statement of what is waived and what you would still owe. If speed is the issue, submit your measurement records as well.

This article is general information and is not legal advice on any individual contract. Please confirm the current scope of the waiver and the application deadline in your carrier's terms, Korea Communications Commission guidance and the Fair Trade Commission's consumer dispute resolution standard.