South Korea's antitrust regulator said Thursday it has presented evidence of false advertisements released by the nation's three major mobile carriers to a local court, in support of ongoing civil lawsuits.
In May, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) revealed SK Telecom Co., KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. exaggerated the performance of their 5G network services, with their advertisements providing speeds that can only be observed in a limited environment.
In a punitive move, the regulator slapped a fine of 16.8 billion won (US$12.5 million) on SK Telecom, the leading player, followed by KT with 13.9 billion won and LG Uplus with 2.8 billion won.
Currently, three civil lawsuits filed by consumers are pending at the Seoul Central District Court.
The FTC said that while the advertisements gave the impression that users could enjoy the maximum speed, the three mobile carriers failed to verify that their services can reach that level.
The three companies each claimed they provided the fastest 5G service in South Korea, without offering verified test results.
The FTC said consumers affected by the deceptive advertisements regarding 5G services can either initiate a lawsuit against the mobile carriers directly or join an ongoing legal proceeding.
Separately, they can seek compensation through the Korea Consumer Agency, it added.
Source: Yonhap News Agency