Local firms shown to have offered options to bypass local safeguards for cheaper plans, then failed to deliver
The Seoul city government said Thursday that there have been 202 complaints this year over account-sharing for YouTube, adding that it has notified the video-sharing platform's operator Google of the situation.
The reports submitted to the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center, from January to August, involve local businesses offering cost-cutting plans for the YouTube Premium service via options that are not normally available in South Korea.
One option was Korean users joining family plans on overseas accounts, while another involved using a virtual private network to get the premium service via accounts based in countries with cheaper plans.
Both methods have now been blocked by Google.
Of the 202 claims of damages, 144 were for failing to provide services, while 33 were for the businesses shutting down or being unavailable for contact. The other 25 were for canceling the contract or refunding services.
Such complaints have been rapidly rising in the past few years, from seven in 2023 to 229 in 2024 and 488 in 2025.
According to the city, complaints related to YouTube Premium coincided with the company raising the monthly subscription free from 10,450 won to 14,900 won ($7.70 to $11) in December 2023.
The metropolitan government warned consumers not to pay long-term fees to providers of such services, warning there is no guarantee that the services will not be discontinued due to YouTube's sanctions.
Officials said Seoul has requested Google to expand the type of services available to Korean users, who are not able to access more cost-effective options like family or student plans.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
