Seoul vs Tokyo: Korea Denies Mobile Plan Price Tag

The Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) has challenged a recent report by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications that ranked Seoul as having the most expensive mobile phone plans.

The KTOA argued that the Japanese government's comparison criteria were favorable to Japan and arbitrarily selected mobile plans for comparison, undermining its objectivity and credibility.

Korea's three major mobile carriers - SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus - are members of the KTOA. According to the report, a 4G plan offering 20 gigabytes (GB) of data per month from SK Telecom in Seoul cost 6,916 yen ($44), the highest among the cities surveyed.

The KTOA claimed that Japan's ministry should have used Korea's 4,200 yen plan for the 4G 20 GB comparison instead of an older, more expensive plan priced at 6,916 yen. If the same criteria were applied, Japanese mobile plans would fall to between the fourth- and sixth-cheapest.