Joseonguk Fair Trade Commission Chairman: "We Will Amend the Jeonsang Act to Strengthen Online Consumer Protection"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Cho Sung-wook, Chairman of the Korea Fair Trade Commission, stated on the 4th, "In response to changes in the consumer environment such as the shift to non-face-to-face transactions, we will comprehensively revise the 'Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce, etc.' to ensure more reliable protection of online consumer rights and interests."

On the same day, Chairman Cho held a meeting with representatives of the Korea Consumer Organization Council and consumer groups at the Korea Fair Trade Mediation Agency, emphasizing the necessity of revising the Electronic Commerce Act.

According to the Fair Trade Commission, consumer groups attending the meeting agreed that various consumer damages are occurring due to changes in the consumer environment, such as the shift to non-face-to-face transactions and the increasing role of platforms. To respond effectively, the Fair Trade Commission, as the main government agency responsible for consumer policy, must promptly prepare comprehensive consumer protection measures, including amendments to the Electronic Commerce Act. Considering the characteristics of three-party platform transactions involving platforms, merchants, and consumers, regulating only platforms excluding merchants may lead to incomplete consumer protection. Therefore, consumer rights protection measures should be established across the entire electronic commerce spectrum, including transactions between merchants and consumers.

The meeting also discussed the Framework Act on Consumers. The Fair Trade Commission is promoting amendments to the Framework Act on Consumers to strengthen the institutional foundation that enables consumers to protect their rights independently, such as establishing the Consumer Rights Promotion Foundation and activating class-action lawsuits. Regarding this, consumer groups expressed the opinion that establishing a Consumer Rights Promotion Foundation based on private autonomy is essential to effectively carry out systematic consumer education on online transactions by children and adolescents, who are socially problematic due to excessive payment, consumer damage surveys, information provision for rational choices, dispute mediation, and damage relief projects. Additionally, since it is practically difficult for individual consumers to file injunction lawsuits against consumer interest violations causing small-scale and numerous consumer damages, they requested the Fair Trade Commission to establish an institutional foundation that actively utilizes the class-action lawsuit system of consumer organizations with expertise.

Chairman Cho said, "This meeting is expected to serve as an opportunity to share awareness of the need to promote consumer policies suitable for the changing market environment and to strengthen public-private cooperation and understanding by listening to policy proposals from consumer groups." He added, "Going forward, the Fair Trade Commission plans to take an active interest and push forward to ensure that the contents discussed today are properly reflected in law enforcement and policy implementation processes to produce tangible effects."