South Korea Launches Investigation Into Instagram Over Mass Account Bans

Key Takeaways

• Formal Investigation Initiated: The Korea Media and Communications Commission has launched a fact-finding investigation into Instagram’s mass account suspensions in May and June 2025 to assess potential violations of the Telecommunications Business Act.
• User Harm Alleged: Numerous accounts reportedly unrelated to youth protection violations were permanently disabled without clear justification, raising concerns about due process and proportionality.
• Paid Support Scrutinized: Regulators will examine whether Instagram delivered the promised “enhanced support” to users subscribed to Meta Verified who sought help reinstating banned accounts.
• Potential Enforcement Action: If violations are confirmed, the regulator may impose fines and corrective orders under applicable telecommunications laws.
• Broader Regulatory Signal: The probe reflects heightened scrutiny of platform moderation practices where service disruptions affect citizens’ daily digital lives.

Deep Dive

South Korea’s media regulator is stepping into the growing controversy over Instagram’s mass account suspensions, opening a formal investigation into what many users have described as a sweeping and unexplained “ban wave.”

The Korea Media and Communications Commission announced that it has initiated a fact-finding investigation into Instagram, owned by Meta, to determine whether large-scale permanent account bans carried out in May and June of last year violated the Telecommunications Business Act.

For affected users, the experience was abrupt. Accounts were permanently disabled, with notifications arriving only after the suspensions had already taken effect. Many said they were given no specific explanation for what rule had been broken.

Youth Protection Measures and Unintended Account Disruptions

The account suspensions followed Meta’s decision to strengthen monitoring measures in Korea to block child sexual abuse material and explicit content. The company introduced enhanced youth protection policies in 2024, tightening enforcement mechanisms on the platform.

But according to the regulator, the crackdown appears to have swept more broadly than intended. Numerous accounts that were reportedly unrelated to youth protection violations were permanently disabled, causing what the commission described as significant user harm.

After identifying those cases, the KMCC first conducted an inspection to assess the scope and underlying causes. It said it moved to a full fact-finding investigation after detecting potential legal violations.

The central question now is whether Instagram’s enforcement practices crossed the line under Korean telecommunications law.

Paid Support, Unmet Expectations

The probe will also examine complaints from users who had subscribed to Instagram’s paid “Blue Badge” service, formally known as Meta Verified. The service includes access to individual chat support, a feature some subscribers turned to in an effort to restore their accounts.

According to the KMCC, many of those users did not receive the prompt and “enhanced support” that had been promised. Regulators will assess whether Instagram fulfilled the service commitments made to paying customers, particularly in cases involving permanent bans.

If the investigation confirms prohibited conduct, the commission said it plans to impose strict measures in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. Those measures could include fines and corrective orders.

More broadly, the KMCC signaled that it intends to keep a close watch on telecommunications services that are deeply embedded in citizens’ daily lives, especially where service practices may cause harm.

For now, the investigation places Instagram’s moderation practices under formal regulatory review in South Korea, highlighting the increasingly delicate balance between aggressive content enforcement and the rights of everyday users caught in the dragnet.

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