City to suspend numbers tied to unsolicited flyers, spam texts

Move aims to stamp out illegal private lending, protect consumers

A promotional poster for the suspension of phone numbers used in illegal loan advertising [Busan city government]
A promotional poster for the suspension of phone numbers used in illegal loan advertising [Busan city government]

Busan will spend two months starting in September suspending phone numbers linked to illegal loan advertising, as part of its "100-Day Emergency Measures for People's Livelihoods" project aimed at stamping out illegal private lending and protecting financial consumers.

The suspension targets illegal loan advertisements that include terms such as "loan," "credit" or "daily installment" along with contact numbers — covering flyers, business cards, text messages and online posts collected or confirmed within the past six months.

Residents or organizations wishing to report flyers or text messages can submit supporting materials — such as photos of collected flyers or screenshots of received texts — through the Safety Sinmungo app or website, or deliver them to the economic affairs division of their district or county office, or to the Busan Consumer Lifestyle Center at 051-888-2141 through 2143.

Once received, reports will be reviewed to confirm whether the advertiser is an unregistered lending business and whether the report is a duplicate. The city will then formally request the Ministry of Science and ICT's Central Radio Management Office to suspend the relevant numbers and register them in the applicable system to proceed with the suspension. However, reports submitted without supporting documentation, numbers belonging to officially registered lenders, and numbers already reported will be excluded from the suspension process.


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