commerce-marketing-compliance-kr

Information and Communications Network Act Advertising/Informational Message Compliance Gate (Korean Marketing Compliance)

Overview

Before a Korean seller sends an advertising or informational message via channels such as SMS, LMS, MMS, email, app push, KakaoTalk FriendTalk/NotificationTalk, or telemarketing, Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc.(hereinafter the Network Act) is a pre-send gate skill that automatically checks compliance.

One-line responsibility: Input message draft, sending channel, sending time, and receipt consent status → advertising/informational determination + inspection of the 6 major regulations + PASS/BLOCK determination of whether sending is possible + automatic generation of revision guidance.

Fine avoidance ROI: One violation = up to KRW 30 million in fines (intentional mass sending, etc. may be subject to separate imprisonment provisions). For a seller sending 10,000 CRM messages per day, a single violation can potentially cost the entire quarter's revenue.

Six core regulations of the Network Act

Regulation 1: Prior consent for advertising information (opt-in) — Article 50, Paragraph 1

When transmitting advertising information for commercial purposes, the recipient's prior explicit consentis mandatory.

• Timing of consent: before sending the advertisement
• Scope of consent: separate consent by channel (SMS/email/app push each) + by sender
• Implied consent, duplicate consent, and default checkbox consent: all invalid
• Blanket consent to terms of service at sign-up: advertising consent must be separately separated (marked as optional)

Regulation 2: Restriction on sending advertisements during nighttime hours — Article 50, Paragraph 3

Sending advertising information between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. the next day requires separate prior consent is mandatory.

• Nighttime sending is not possible with general advertising consent
• Nighttime consent must be collected separately from advertising consent
• Informational messages (order confirmation, delivery notification, etc.) are not subject to the nighttime restriction

Regulation 3: Obligation to label (Advertisement) — Article 50, Paragraph 4

When sending advertising information, the body text 맨 앞must include the following items:

Location	Label content
At the very beginning of the body	(광고) or [광고]
Body or end	Sender's business name + contact information
End of body	Free opt-out method + explicit statement of the free opt-out obligation

Regulation 4: Obligation for free opt-out — Article 50, Paragraph 4

In every advertising message, free opt-out method must be stated.

• SMS/LMS/MMS: 080 free opt-out number or reply keyword ("reject")
• Email: a clear opt-out link in the body (single-click possible)
• App push: Guide to in-app notification settings path
• KakaoTalk Friend Talk: Guide to Kakao's own blocking feature

Regulation 5: Restrictions on advertising transmission by channel — Enforcement Decree of the Information and Communications Network Act

Channel	Allowed advertising transmission hours	Opt-in required
SMS/LMS/MMS	08:00-21:00	✅
Email	24 hours	✅
App push (advertising)	08:00-21:00	✅
App push (informational)	24 hours	❌ (upon consent to terms of service)
KakaoTalk Friend Talk	08:00-21:00	✅ (consent to adding as friend)
KakaoTalk AlimTalk	24 hours (informational only)	❌ (upon consent to terms of service)
Telemarketing	08:00-21:00	✅ + consent to voice guidance

Regulation 6: Penalty provisions — Article 76

Violation	Penalty
Sending advertising without prior consent	Fine of up to 30 million won
Sending advertising during nighttime hours	Fine of up to 30 million won
Missing (Ad) label	Fine of up to 30 million won
Obstructing or ignoring opt-out	Fine of up to 30 million won + criminal punishment
Mass transmission of advertising information for profit (intentionality)	Imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to 10 million won

Automatic determination of advertising vs. informational

Criteria for determining advertising information

If any of the following applies, it is classified as advertising— opt-in consent, (Ad) label, nighttime blocking, and free opt-out are all required:

• Promotion of products or services for profit
• Discount, coupon, or event notices (excluding informational messages for voluntary members)
• New product launch or restock notices (excluding cases with consent to the informational category)
• Content to raise brand awareness
• Sponsored advertising content (including influencer messages)
• All KakaoTalk Friend Talk messages (no exceptions for informational cases)

Criteria for determining informational information

If only the following applies, it is informational — separate opt-in consent is not required (included at the time of consent to the terms of service):

• Order confirmation and payment notification
• Delivery status changes (shipped, delivery started, delivery completed)
• Refund or exchange processing results
• Identity verification OTP and password reset
• Account security notifications (abnormal login, etc.)
• Advance notice of contract expiration or changes to terms

Handling of gray areas

• Repurchase inducement (30일 만에 안 오셨네요): advertising (repurchase intent = for-profit purpose)
• Membership tier notice (골드 등급 승급): informational (for voluntarily subscribed members)
• Points expiration notice (적립금 3,000원 7일 후 소멸): informational (contractual obligation notice)
• Points expiration + coupon notice: advertising (Coupon = Commercial Incentive)

Classification Principles: The message must contain 0% commercial-purpose elements (coupons, discounts, incentives, repurchase inducements) to qualify as informational. If even 1% commercial elements are mixed in, it is classified as advertising → opt-in consent + all 6 regulations apply.

Workflow

Input Slots

Item	Required	Example
Message Draft	Required	오늘만 20% 할인! 카카오페이로 결제하면 추가 5% 적립
Sending Channel	Required	SMS / LMS / MMS / Email / App Push / KakaoTalk FriendTalk / KakaoTalk AlimTalk / Telemarketing
Scheduled Send Time	Required	2026-05-17 22:30 (24-hour format)
Receiving Consent Status	Required	광고 동의 ✅, 야간 동의 ❌
Sender Information	Required	Business name + contact (080 toll-free number or regular number)
Free Opt-Out Method	Recommended	080-xxx-xxxx 회신 키워드 '거부' or email opt-out link

Inspection Order

[Step 1] 광고성 vs 정보성 판정
   ├─ 정보성 → Step 6 (수신거부 점검 skip, 표기 요구 skip) 직행
   └─ 광고성 → Step 2

[Step 2] 옵트인 동의 점검
   ├─ 광고 동의 ❌ → BLOCK ("사전 동의 미확보 — 제50조 제1항 위반")
   └─ 광고 동의 ✅ → Step 3

[Step 3] 발송 시간 점검 (21시~익일 8시)
   ├─ 야간 + 야간 동의 ❌ → BLOCK ("야간 광고 별도 동의 필요 — 제50조 제3항")
   ├─ 야간 + 야간 동의 ✅ → Step 4
   └─ 주간 → Step 4

[Step 4] (광고) 표기 위치 점검
   ├─ 본문 맨 앞 '(광고)' or '[광고]' 미포함 → BLOCK
   ├─ 표기는 있으나 맨 앞 아님 → BLOCK ("표기 위치 위반 — 제50조 제4항")
   └─ 맨 앞 명시 → Step 5

[Step 5] 무료 수신거부 명시 점검
   ├─ 무료 수신거부 방법 미명시 → BLOCK
   ├─ 유료 수신거부 (예: 일반 ARS) → BLOCK ("무료 의무 위반 — 제50조 제4항")
   └─ 무료 명시 ✅ → Step 6

[Step 6] 발신자 정보 점검
   ├─ 상호 + 연락처 미명시 → BLOCK
   └─ 명시 ✅ → PASS

Output Format

PASS Case

{
  "verdict": "PASS",
  "category": "광고성",
  "channel": "SMS",
  "send_time": "2026-05-17 14:30",
  "checks": {
    "advertising_judgment": {"status": "광고성", "reason": "20% 할인·적립 인센티브 포함"},
    "opt_in_consent": {"status": "PASS", "captured_at": "2026-05-01"},
    "night_time": {"status": "주간", "in_range": false},
    "advertising_label": {"status": "PASS", "position": "본문 맨 앞"},
    "free_unsubscribe": {"status": "PASS", "method": "080-xxx-xxxx 회신 '거부'"},
    "sender_info": {"status": "PASS", "name": "OO몰", "contact": "1588-xxxx"}
  },
  "rendered_message": "(광고) OO몰 오늘만 20%할인! 카카오페이 결제시 추가5%적립 [무료수신거부] 080-xxx-xxxx '거부' 회신",
  "notes": "본 메시지는 정통망법 제50조 제1·3·4항 모두 충족합니다."
}

BLOCK Case

{
  "verdict": "BLOCK",
  "category": "광고성",
  "channel": "SMS",
  "send_time": "2026-05-17 22:30",
  "blockers": [
    {
      "rule": "정통망법 제50조 제3항 (야간 광고 별도 동의)",
      "issue": "발송 시간 22:30이 야간(21시~익일 8시) 범위. 야간 동의가 ❌ 상태",
      "fix": "(A) 발송 시간을 08:00 이후로 변경 또는 (B) 야간 동의 별도 수집"
    },
    {
      "rule": "정통망법 제50조 제4항 ((광고) 표기 위치)",
      "issue": "본문 맨 앞에 '(광고)' 또는 '[광고]' 표기 누락",
      "fix": "본문 시작 부분에 '(광고)' 추가"
    }
  ],
  "rendered_preview": "(현재 메시지는 발송 불가 상태. 위 fix 적용 필요)",
  "max_penalty": "3,000만 원 + 1년 이하 징역 (제76조)"
}

Best Message Patterns by Channel

SMS (90자 이내, 광고성):
(광고) {상호}
{핵심 혜택 한 줄}
{CTA 1줄}
무료거부 080-xxx-xxxx

이메일 (광고성):
제목: (광고) {핵심 혜택}
본문 첫 줄: {상호} 광고 메시지입니다.
{본문}
하단: [수신거부 (단일 클릭 옵트아웃)] · 발신자 {상호} {연락처}

카톡 친구톡 (광고성, 1000자 이내):
(광고) {상호}
{본문}
ㅡㅡㅡ
※ 본 메시지는 광고이며, 카카오톡 친구목록에서 차단할 수 있습니다.

Worst Patterns by Channel (by frequency of block reasons)

Worst Pattern	Violated Provision	Frequency of Occurrence
Sending advertising with blanket consent to membership signup terms	Article 50 Paragraph 1 (Insufficient separate prior consent)	Very High
Nighttime sending (after 21:00)	Article 50 Paragraph 3 (No separate nighttime consent)	High
(광고) Place the notation at the end of the body	Article 50 Paragraph 4 (Notation position violation)	High
Guiding to a general ARS or inquiry number as opt-out	Article 50 Paragraph 4 (Free-of-charge obligation violation)	중
Specifying only the sender name and omitting contact info	Article 50 Paragraph 4 (Insufficient sender information)	중
(광고)를 (이벤트)·(혜택)replace with	Article 50 Paragraph 4 (Inaccurate notation violation)	중

Usage Examples

"/commerce-marketing-compliance-kr — SMS '오늘만 20% 할인, 카카오페이 결제 시 +5% 적립',
 발송 22:30, 광고 동의 ✅, 야간 동의 ❌"
→ BLOCK: 야간 동의 미확보 + (광고) 표기 누락 + 발신자 정보 누락
   fix 3종 제시

"/commerce-marketing-compliance-kr — 이메일 '주문하신 비건 세럼 출고되었습니다',
 발송 23:00, 광고 동의 ❌"
→ PASS (정보성, 야간 제한 없음, 옵트인 불필요)
   rendered_message 출력

"/commerce-marketing-compliance-kr — 카톡 친구톡 '신규 컬렉션 30% 할인',
 발송 14:00, 친구 추가 ✅, 광고 동의 ✅"
→ PASS, but 권장: 본문 끝에 카카오 차단 안내 추가

Quality Checklist

• All 6 inspections (advertising classification, opt-in, nighttime, notation, opt-out, sender) verified complete
• When BLOCK, provide violated provision + specific fix guide
• When PASS, automatically apply channel specifications (SMS 90 characters, etc.) to rendered_message

Related Skills

Chaining order: commerce-channel-message (copywriting) → commerce-marketing-compliance-kr (legal compliance gate) → actual sending

• commerce-channel-message — Message copywriting + app push 4 principles planning (previous step, includes app push planning mode)
• email-sequence — Email sequence (email channel copy)

When Not to Use This Skill

• Message Copywriting: commerce-channel-message use
• Ad Campaign Planning: campaign-planner use
• Global GDPR/CCPA Compliance: Outside the scope of this skill (dedicated to Korean Network Act)
• Writing the email sequence itself: email-sequence Usage

References

• Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (Network Act) Articles 50 and 76
• Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), "Guidelines for Sending Information for Profit-Making Advertising Purposes"
• Korea Communications Commission, "Comprehensive Measures to Prevent Illegal Spam"