President Yoon Suk Yeol has emphasized the government’s role in preventing a recurrence of the national disruption seen over the weekend, after the tech giant Kakao Corporation suffered a massive malfunction in services. 

In a brief meeting with reporters on his way to the presidential office on Monday, Yoon said the nation should make a necessary institutional response if a monopoly or oligopoly distorts the market, or if they provide a service akin to national infrastructure. 

He made the remarks when asked about whether Kakao’s dominant market share might have caused or worsened the problem and whether the government needs to do something about market dominance structure. 

The president agreed that a government review is needed to address the situation, adding that the Fair Trade Commission is deliberating on possible measures. 

Yoon said he believes in a free market economy and respecting the autonomy and creativity of companies, but only when the system guarantees reasonable distribution of resources and incomes through fair competition. 

He said that Kakao's messaging service, Kakao Talk, given its popularity, is equivalent to a national telecommunications service and that the government will put measures in place to prevent similar problems in the future.

Meanwhile, Yoon's senior press secretary, Kim Eun-hye, said in a briefing on Sunday that network disturbance can be a threat to national security.