[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Ahead of the decision on whether to designate the chauffeur service industry as a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) suitable sector, the small business community urged platform giants such as Kakao and T Map to pursue coexistence.
The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise Associations released a statement on the 20th, saying, "Whether the Win-Win Growth Committee designates chauffeur services as an SME suitable sector will determine whether platform giants Kakao Mobility and T Map Mobility can expand their businesses."
They added, "Competition is intensifying in the mobility industry centered around Kakao and T Map," and pointed out, "The problem is that mammoth corporations are leveraging their financial power and information capabilities to dominate the 'dispatch sharing control system' of the chauffeur service market, which small business owners have built and protected, threatening the livelihood of existing market participants."
Furthermore, they emphasized, "Small business owners and self-employed individuals are already enduring the 'gapjil and illegal acts' forced by large corporate platforms under the guise of 'fairness and coexistence,'" and stressed, "There is a need for an 'Online Platform Fairness Act' not only in the chauffeur service industry but also in various sectors such as lodging and delivery."
Finally, they expressed concern over the all-out and predatory entry of large corporate platforms into small business neighborhood markets and urged them to choose a path of coexistence, stating, "The National Assembly must promptly enact the Online Platform Fairness Act."
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