Controversy Over Overseas Direct Purchase Regulations... Yoo Seung-min Says "Ban on Direct Purchase Is an Uninformed Policy"

"Regulations Must Be Applied Precisely Where Needed"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon supported the government's stance on the 'overseas direct purchase (direct import) regulation' policy, while former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min sharply criticized it, saying, "The logic that consumers must continue to suffer to protect domestic companies is an outdated idea heard only in the era of the development dictatorship."

On the 20th, former lawmaker Yoo wrote on his Facebook, "I have a word about Mayor Oh's sudden belated response," he began.

Former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

He said, "Mayor Oh's position is that he agrees with the government's announcement to ban overseas direct purchases," adding, "In other words, the government's withdrawal of the (direct import ban policy) after three days was wrong, and consumers should endure the damage to ensure safety and protect domestic companies by banning overseas direct purchases."

He continued, "Who would support direct import or import of harmful products?" and said, "Because the government broadly banned direct imports solely based on the Korea Certification (KC) mark, public dissatisfaction exploded. That is why I criticized, 'Safety regulations are necessary, but broadly banning under the pretext of safety is a foolish policy, and regulations should be applied precisely where needed.'"

Former lawmaker Yoo pointed out, "The government belatedly admitted its mistake and withdrew the policy, and the ruling party's floor leader also criticized the immature policy. The presidential office officially apologized as well," adding, "Shouldn't Mayor Oh properly tell the government and the presidential office, who withdrew the policy after three days, to ban overseas direct purchases again?" He then asked, "Do you not have the courage to speak to them?" and criticized, "Please refrain from opposition for the sake of opposition based on political motives and groundless criticism."

Earlier, Mayor Oh supported the government's position on his Facebook amid controversy over the mandatory KC certification regulation for overseas direct purchases, saying, "Safety and corporate protection are values that cannot be abandoned even considering some inconvenience to direct purchase users." He mentioned, "Regarding overseas direct purchases, there are two issues: citizen safety risks and concerns about the collapse of domestic companies," and added, "Discussing embankment construction while the river is flooding is mere desk theory."