Fair Trade Commission Chairman: "Imposing Obligations on Platform Operators... Full Revision of the 'Jeonsang Act'"

40th Anniversary of the Enactment of the Framework Act on Consumers: Public-Private Joint Academic Symposium Held

Jong-wook Cho, Chairman of the Korea Fair Trade Commission. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] "The Fair Trade Commission plans to significantly amend the 'Electronic Commerce Consumer Protection Act' to assign responsibilities and obligations commensurate with the role and status of platform operators."

Fair Trade Commission Chairman Cho Sung-wook made this statement on the 4th at the 'Current and Future Consumer Policy' symposium held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The symposium was jointly hosted by the Fair Trade Commission, Korea Consumer Agency, Korea Consumer Organization Council, and Korea Consumer Law Association to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Framework Act on Consumers.

The Consumer Protection Act was enacted in 1980 and was fully revised into the Framework Act on Consumers in 2007.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Cho praised the efforts of the Consumer Agency, Consumer Organization Council, and Consumer Law Association for their contributions to the development of the Framework Act on Consumers. He urged everyone to unite their efforts to prepare for the next 40 years of the Framework Act on Consumers.

As part of these efforts, he announced plans to fully revise the 'Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce, etc.' and actively respond to acts that infringe on consumer interests in non-face-to-face transaction environments.

Chairman Cho said, "With the increase in marketing and sales through SNS, we have revised the 'Guidelines for Review on Recommendations and Endorsements' to ensure accurate information is delivered to consumers," adding, "We plan to implement various policies such as market monitoring and voluntary compliance campaigns."

He also emphasized strengthening policy enforcement through the Consumer Policy Committee by enhancing the 'Consumer Policy Comprehensive Implementation Plan Performance Evaluation System.'

Source=Korea Fair Trade Commission

The symposium was divided into two sessions: 'Achievements and Challenges of the Framework Act on Consumers' (Session 1) and 'Future Development Directions of the Framework Act on Consumers' (Session 2).

In Session 1, Jeon Seong-bok, Head of Consumer Policy Division at the Fair Trade Commission, and Ko Hyung-seok, Professor at Sunmoon University (Korea Consumer Law Association), presented on the topic 'Achievements and Challenges of the Framework Act on Consumers and Consumer Policy.'

Under the chairmanship of Yeo Jeong-seong, private member of the Consumer Policy Committee, designated discussions were held with Kim Joo-won, Secretary General of the Korea Women Consumers Association, Kim Se-jun, Professor at Kyonggi University, and Bae Soon-young, Head of Policy Research at the Korea Consumer Agency.

In Session 2, Baek Dae-yong, Chairman of the Consumer Citizens' Organization, Song Min-su, Head of Legal Research Team at the Korea Consumer Agency, and Seo Jong-hee, Professor at Konkuk University (Korea Consumer Law Association), presented on the topic 'Diagnosis and Future Development Directions of the Framework Act on Consumers.'

Under the chairmanship of Song Sang-min, Director of Consumer Policy Bureau at the Fair Trade Commission, designated discussions were held with Hwang Won-jae, Professor at Keimyung University, Byun Woong-jae, Chairman of the Voluntary Adjustment Dispute Committee, Kwon Jae-ik, Senior Expert at the Corporate Consumer Expert Association, and Lee Tae-hwi, Head of Consumer Safety Information Division at the Fair Trade Commission.

Jeon, the division head, said, "The Fair Trade Commission plans to utilize the various expert opinions raised at this symposium as valuable policy reference materials for future improvements to the Framework Act on Consumers and consumer policies."