Visiting the Board of Audit and Inspection on Weekdays to Submit: "Complete Vehicle Industry Must Also Take a Stand"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] The Automobile Citizens' Union announced on the 20th that it has completed recruiting 300 petitioners to apply for a national audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection against the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, which has delayed the conclusion on opening the used car market for three years.
This audit request aims to hold the Ministry of SMEs and Startups accountable for failing to decide on the opening of the used car market beyond the legal deadline. Accordingly, the Automobile Citizens' Union has been recruiting joint petitioners through its website since the 16th.
The issue of opening the used car market has seen no significant progress for three years since 2019, when the Win-Win Growth Committee judged that the used car sales business was 'unsuitable' as a livelihood-type small business category for small merchants. The completed car and used car industries attempted to sign a win-win agreement in June through mediation by the Democratic Party's Euljiro Committee, but the negotiations over about three months ended in failure. At the end of last month, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups also attempted to hold three days of renewed talks, but the negotiations ultimately collapsed.
The Automobile Citizens' Union plans to visit the Board of Audit and Inspection in Jongno-gu, Seoul, this week to submit the national audit petition directly. Representative Lim Gi-sang explained the background, saying, "Since last year until early this month, several attempts were made for win-win negotiations between the used car sales industry and the completed car industry, but all ended in final failure. We expected the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to hold a deliberation committee within the year and promptly reach a conclusion, but there is no concrete plan or schedule for deliberation so far."
Representative Lim also addressed the completed car industry, stating, "They should no longer hesitate to enter the used car market," and added, "To protect the rights and interests of consumers who have repeatedly suffered damages in the used car market and to expand their choices, the domestic completed car industry must immediately express a clear position on entering the used car market."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
