Surge in Online Advertising Disputes... Ministry of Science and ICT Provides Preventive Education for Small and Medium Business Owners

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 26th that it will strengthen preventive education and damage relief support activities to minimize the damage to small and medium-sized merchants as disputes related to the domestic online advertising market have surged recently.

Accordingly, the ICT Dispute Mediation Support Center, a dedicated organization for dispute mediation in the ICT field, will collaborate with the Small and Medium Business Hope Foundation to provide customized online advertising damage prevention education to 10,000 people annually, linked with various training courses for small and medium-sized merchants.

The two organizations signed a mutual business agreement on the same day for ▲ online advertising damage case and prevention education, ▲ support for relief activities through the center in case of damage, and ▲ exchange of information on online advertising trends, statistics, and awareness surveys. Going forward, they plan to minimize the spread of damage through ▲ SNS, ▲ online marketing education for small and medium-sized merchants (50 sessions annually), ▲ talk concerts (once a month), ▲ education for Jump-up Hub resident companies (more than 30 sessions annually), and support projects to expand online sales for small and medium-sized merchants.

The number of online advertising dispute mediation applications received by the center reached a total of 5,659 cases in 2019, an increase of 68% compared to the previous year. The main types of dispute applications are identified as deceptive acts or false and unfair advertising contracts, such as advertising agencies impersonating portal advertising managers to small and medium-sized merchants (restaurants, beauty salons, shopping malls, etc.) and promising well-known advertisements at low prices (top portal keyword links, well-known cafes, etc.).

Kim Jung-won, Director of the Information and Communication Policy Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, “As small and medium-sized merchants face economic difficulties due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), cases of online advertising damage exploiting the desire of small and medium-sized merchants to increase sales are expected to surge this year.” He added, “We will closely monitor market trends through the center, promptly disseminate damage cases, provide customized preventive education, issue user advisories, and speedily implement measures. We will also strengthen support for relief activities through the center when damage occurs.”