Call Center Calls Are Not Covered by Unlimited Voice Plans—They Cost 1.98 Won per Second
Even with an unlimited voice plan, calling a call center incurs extra charges. Calls to corporate numbers such as 1588 or 1688 are classified not as regular calls but as "value-added calls," which can be billed separately. Carriers' unlimited plans offer unlimited calling only between landlines and mobile phones, and value-added calls come with a free monthly allowance of only about 300 minutes. For someone calling a call center daily, that works out to a mere 10 minutes a day.
Once the free allowance is exceeded, charges of 1.98 won per second—about 119 won per minute—apply. Automated announcements and wait time before reaching an agent are also deducted from the allowance. Calls to financial institutions, delivery platforms, or large hospital reservations typically involve 10 to 20 minutes of waiting—and in some cases over an hour—making it easy to exceed the free limit.
Behind the lengthening wait times is a shift in how companies structure customer support. Financial, retail, and IT platform companies are converting their call centers to AI agents or KakaoTalk chatbots to cut costs. In the process, many companies place the agent-connection option at the very end of their automated response system (ARS) menus or switch to "visual ARS," which steers callers toward mobile webpages. With "maze-style menus" that force callers to press multiple different numbers before reaching an agent, paid calls continue for several minutes before a representative picks up.
The impact of this structure falls hardest on older adults who are less familiar with digital devices. Seniors who struggle with chatbots or mobile sign-ups have no choice but to rely on phone-based voice guidance. As they listen through convoluted menus and repeatedly attempt to connect, their call time grows and their waiting charges mount.
The fundamental reason corporate hotline calls are excluded from unlimited plans lies in the intercarrier connection fee structure. While standard landline termination fees run 7 to 9 won per minute, corporate numbers carry an additional "intelligent network" charge of 8 won per minute, set decades ago to cover the cost of switching equipment. "Based on current costs, with the price of intelligent network equipment having fallen sharply, fees could be lowered to 1 to 2 won per minute, yet the charge has remained unchanged for years," a telecom industry official explained. "If these connection fees were updated to reflect reality, carriers' cost burden would shrink, allowing corporate hotline calls to be included within unlimited voice plans."
