If you received a message in a family group chat or messenger saying you can get an additional 25% off your phone bill starting today, it isn’t true. On September 15, 2026, the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) classified the message as false information and urged users to be careful.

That said, the 25% discount program mentioned in the message does exist. It’s just neither new nor added on top of existing discounts.

Concept image of a discount notice message spreading through group chats Concept image of a discount notice message spreading through group chats — Source: concept image · self-generated with agy

What the circulating message claims

When the phone bill discount message spread again When the phone bill discount message spread again — Source: self-rendered based on reports by Media Today, Money Today, Korea Economic Daily, and Asia Times

According to Money Today, a post went up on the online community Ppomppu on September 9 asking whether a message received in a family group chat was true, and the same content spread on Threads as well.

Message claim Reality
Newly introduced as a presidential pledge A program that has existed since 2014
Discount starts the day you receive it 25% since September 2017
25% extra even for those with a contract discount No double discounts
Subscribers apply themselves Applying is correct

The message also lists phone numbers to apply at SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus. Korea Economic Daily analyzed that because these are real carrier customer service numbers, the message looked more convincing. KMCC urged people not to call or seek consultation through phone numbers in messages of unclear origin.

This isn’t the first time the same message has circulated. In 2016 it went around claiming the discount started thanks to a particular lawmaker, in 2017 claiming a 20% discount from a presidential pledge, and in 2020, after the rate rose to 25%, it spread again with only the number changed. Asia Times reported that when the same message circulated on June 1, 2023, the carriers’ dedicated bill discount centers listed in the message were flooded with calls.

The 2026 spread coincided with the run-up to the iPhone 18 launch on September 18. KMCC also warned about damage from false and deceptive online ads touting bill discounts around new iPhone launches.

The real program: the selective contract discount

Changes in the selective contract discount rate Changes in the selective contract discount rate — Source: self-rendered based on Media Today and Korea Policy Briefing

The program the message refers to is the selective contract discount (seontaek yakjeong). When buying a phone, instead of taking the carrier’s device subsidy, you sign a 1- or 2-year contract with the carrier and get 25% off your monthly bill.

The program was introduced in October 2014 together with the Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act (Dantong Act), and the rate rose from 12% to 20% in 2015 and 25% in September 2017. The Dantong Act was repealed on July 22, 2025, but the selective contract discount was moved into the Telecommunications Business Act and remains in place.

Using the example Smart Choice gives, on a ₩55,000 monthly plan the discount is ₩13,750 a month, or ₩330,000 over 24 months.

KMCC said there’s no program other than the selective contract discount under which carriers give an additional bill discount. The mandatory contract discount program, which used to give 25–30% off the bill separately from device subsidies, was abolished after 2015.

There’s no extra 25% discount; the 25% selective contract discount has existed since 2017

Subscribers not on the selective contract discount

Number of subscribers not on the selective contract discount Number of subscribers not on the selective contract discount — Source: self-rendered based on data from Rep. Noh Jong-myun’s office (Sisa Journal report)

Behind the message’s repeated spread is the fact that many people really have missed out on the 25% discount. According to data that the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Noh Jong-myun received from the Ministry of Science and ICT and the three carriers, as of the end of August 2024, 12,297,811 subscribers were not on the selective contract discount, 26.2% of the total.

Of these, 6,731,103 (54.7% of non-subscribers) had gone without a contract for more than a year after their contract ended. The lawmaker’s office calculated that if all non-subscribers had signed up for the selective contract discount, they could have saved ₩1.3837 trillion.

Not every non-subscriber lost out. Some avoided a contract because they planned to change devices soon or switch carriers, and the Ministry of Science and ICT has pointed such people to online and no-contract plans that offer a similar discount without a contract.

Checking eligibility and applying

Summary of eligibility checks and applying Summary of eligibility checks and applying — Source: summary of the article · self-rendered

Check eligibility on Smart Choice, the telecom rate information portal, rather than through the message. Press *#06# on the phone keypad or find the device’s unique identifier (IMEI) in the Settings menu, and enter it in Look up devices eligible for the 25% bill discount.

🔗 Link - https://m.smartchoice.or.kr/smc/mobile/find_discount.do

Only SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus subscribers can get the selective contract discount, and MVNO (budget carrier) plans are not eligible. Even a device bought with a subsidy qualifies once the subsidy contract period has ended, and unlocked phones, devices bought overseas, and used phones can also be eligible.

Apply at carrier dealers and retailers, customer centers, or websites.

Since the Dantong Act was repealed, selective contract subscribers can also receive additional subsidies from dealers and retailers. Under the method the three carriers communicated to their distribution networks just before the repeal, on a 24-month contract, switching to a cheaper plan within 6 months can mean paying the difference as a penalty, so it’s safer to check the conditions when signing up.

The optimal plan notification system, under which carriers text you a plan that fits your usage pattern, takes effect in October 2026. Those texts and this false message are different things.

Optimal Plan Notices — Starting in October, Carriers Tell You First (in Korean)

Sources