The Korea Communications Commission said on Feb. 12 that it is investigating video-sharing site YouTube’s paid subscription service, YouTube Premium.

The government regulatory agency said it is launching the investigation on the suspicion that YouTube did not properly confirm subscriber agreements in the process of converting to paid services following one-month free trials. If the charge is found to be true, the Google-operated service would be in breach of the Telecommunications Business Act.

(Yonhap)

YouTube Premium, launched in 2015 and formerly branded YouTube Red, allows subscribers to enjoy its videos ad-free and save content for offline access.

An official at KCC said the agency’s decision to look into the issue is based on the last few months’ media coverage and user complaints regarding “how the paid subscription conversion procedure is hindering users’ rights and permissions.”

YouTube is also facing charges of fake news circulation.

Rep. Park Kwang-on of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who heads the special committee to tackle false information, said on the same day that “a report against 12 YouTube channels that generate false, manipulated information has been filed to KCC for review.” 

The special committee in addition called on Google Korea for increased cooperation in combatting the prevalence of fake news on its platform. Google acquired YouTube in 2006.

During a Cabinet meeting on Oct. 2, 2018, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon asked the KCC and Ministry of Science and ICT to devise measures to counter “generation, circulation and consumption of false information online,” calling fake news “a public enemy hiding behind the cover of free speech.”

In March last year, the South Korean telecommunications regulator fined social media giant Facebook 396 million won (US$353,100) for deliberately inhibiting user access to its services from late 2016 to early 2017.

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)