Small Business Agency to mask staff phone numbers with '050' virtual numbers

Calls from the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency will now come in under numbers beginning with "050." The change is designed to boost staff morale, protect personal privacy and shield employees from excessive public complaints that persist even during vacations and holidays.

The agency said Monday it is launching a pilot "safe number service" to protect employees' personal information. The move comes after repeated concerns about staff contact details being exposed during public inquiries at government-affiliated institutions.

The service applies to staff at 12 regional offices and 80 local centers nationwide. When an employee makes or receives a call or text through a dedicated app, the other party sees a virtual number beginning with "050" instead of the employee's personal mobile number.

The agency cited frequent field visits and on-site consultations as a key reason personal numbers had regularly ended up in outside hands. Some employees had reported privacy violations as complaint calls continued to reach them outside working hours. Internally, staff had also raised concerns about reduced work efficiency and psychological strain.

With the virtual number system in place, employees will be able to continue consultations without disclosing their personal numbers. The agency expects the arrangement to help staff separate work from their personal lives by blocking contact after hours and on days off.

Small business owners seeking support will retain the same convenience. They can reach the same virtual number without saving a separate personal contact, and text notifications will continue to arrive as before. However, if a staff member changes, the assigned number may also change, meaning some follow-up may be needed to maintain continuity in one-on-one communication.

Similar protective measures are spreading across public institutions more broadly. Some local governments and state-run enterprises have already minimized personal number exposure through callback systems or main-line routing. The trend reflects a wider institutional push to protect employees as the volume and intensity of public complaints continues to rise.

The agency plans to run the pilot through the end of December — about five months — before conducting a comprehensive review of usage rates, staff satisfaction and complaint-handling effectiveness to decide whether to adopt the service permanently.

"Creating an environment where employees who support small business owners on the front lines can work with peace of mind is the starting point for stable policy support," agency chief In Tae-yeon said. "We will continue to expand efforts to enhance both employee protection and convenience for small business owners, delivering support that can be felt on the ground."