The implication of frequency of the Korean Public Alert Service (KPAS)
This study analyzes an online survey with 1212 participants to explore the implications of the frequency of the Korean Public Alert Service (KPAS). Since 2005, the South Korean government has been using the service to issuing emergency alerts to mobile devices. The government has continued its efforts to expand the effectiveness and public acceptance as a primary alerting tool, comparable to the broadcasting media. KPAS contributed to successful defensive measures against the damage of disaster. As the number of KPAS alerts increases, however, people were reportedly getting more annoyed and insensitive to the alerts. This study focused on how the exploding number of alerts exacerbates the alert effectiveness such as public distrust and fatigue, resulting in ignorance and inactivation of KPAS on their mobile devices.
The study finds that the frequency and distrust of disaster media is related, and pointed out the improper use of terminology by the Korean media for this relationship. The media has described the distrust issue in the disaster media as a false alert, as the “Cry Wolf Effect.” However, since the distrust is related to the frequency of KPAS alerts, labeling it as the “Cry Wolf Effect” would be inadequate to explain the phenomenon. There is a saying that too much is worse than too little. If the frequency of alerts is excessive, it means that such a situation may be worse than where the frequency is insufficient. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, KPAS contributed to the successful defensive measure against the pandemic. Nevertheless, even in the era of COVID-19, still many complain about an exorbitant number of KPAS alerts. The results of this study have identified the causes of inefficiencies when the government operates its policies. This study can be utilized as useful reference material for improving disaster alerts management.