(3rd LD) S. Korea to list mobile numbers in phone directories from February.

SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- The government plans to list mobile phone numbers in phone directory books, much like traditional fixed-line phone numbers, from next February, officials said Wednesday. The plan, however, is expected to draw massive criticism from civic organizations which advocate privacy. The controversial plan comes as the government recently revised a telecommunication business law, said Yang Hwan-jung, a senior official at the Ministry of Information and Communication.

Under the revised law, the nation's three mobile phone operators -- SK Telecom Co., KTF Co. and LG Telecom Ltd. -- will be required to reveal their customers' cell phone numbers for directory books, the Internet or voice directory service from February 2006, the ministry said in a statement. "The ministry has been in negotiations with mobile operators to go ahead with the plan," Yang said in a press briefing. "The revised law requires mobile phone operators to get their subscribers' permission before making mobile numbers public," he added. But, many privacy advocates say listing wireless numbers in directory books or the Internet would prompt mobile subscribers to receive unwanted telemarketing calls in most cases. Name, mobile numbers and limited address will be available through the directory services, Yang said. If subscribers want to de-list their mobile numbers from the directory books, the Internet or voice paging service, they can do so by telephone or e-mail, the official said. No countermeasures to stem a flood of telemarketing calls to mobile phones are being considered at this stage, Yang said. The move is likely to trigger great confusion as the ministry is stepping up its efforts to prevent unsolicited mobile phone text messages, or "mobile spam." The revised law was originally ...