Science ministry fast-tracks four ICT regulatory sandbox projects

The science ministry said it has designated four new demonstration special cases under its ICT regulatory sandbox to accelerate the market entry of innovative services.

The decisions followed the second meeting of the ICT Regulatory Sandbox Fast-Track Special Committee, which convened in writing from July 22 to July 29 to rapidly process projects substantially identical to existing temporary permits.

Among the approved items is a mobile voice phishing detection service developed by Samsung Electronics and the National Forensic Service. While current regulations classify voice data as sensitive information requiring user consent, the special exemption allows the use of such data without the consent of suspected scammers for prevention purposes.

Two other projects focus on utilizing vacant houses in rural areas for shared accommodation. Companies W&B and Moonline received approval to remodel homes acquired through long-term leases or purchases into standalone lodging facilities, overcoming rules that had restricted rural guesthouse operations to residents offering parts of their own owned homes.

The final designated case involves the Korea Post Services Agency launching a mobile electronic notification service for financial guidance letters using certified electronic document relay technology. The exemption permits the agency to relay documents it generates itself, overcoming previous restrictions that limited relay services to documents created by third parties.

Hong Seong-wan, the ministry's director general for information and communications policy, said the committee expects these measures to expand demonstrations in areas closely related to daily life, including voice phishing prevention and electronic document distribution.