'No More Unfair Trade Moves!'... Gyeonggi-do Appoints 25 Fair Trade Guardians

Gyeonggi Province appointed 25 'Fair Trade Guardians' on the 13th and officially began monitoring unfair trade practices within the province.

On the same day, Gyeonggi Province presented appointment certificates and conducted basic education on fair trade in the franchise sector, as well as training on safety management for field activities. Detailed guidance was also provided on precautions and methods for individual activities.

The Fair Trade Guardians consist of 16 members in the southern Gyeonggi region and 9 members in the northern region. Until November, they will monitor cases of unfair trade targeting franchise stores and headquarters within the province, and check compliance with fair trade-related laws and regulations. Additionally, they will identify issues through interviews and inquiries with business operators on-site, promote policies, and collect basic data to help create a fair market environment.

Gyeonggi Province is taking a commemorative photo after appointing 25 Fair Trade Guardians. Photo by Gyeonggi Province

This year’s main activities include ▲ informing franchise headquarters about the deadlines for regular registration changes of franchise disclosure documents and penalties for non-registration ▲ monitoring the notification status of advertising and promotional expenses by franchisees ▲ checking whether intellectual property rights changes are registered in the franchise disclosure documents.

Gyeonggi Province previously selected the Fair Trade Guardians through an open recruitment process from January 22 to February 7.

Seo Bong-ja, Director of the Fair Economy Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Fair Trade Guardians will play an important role in directly monitoring unfair trade practices on-site and establishing fair trade order. Gyeonggi Province will continue to foster a fair economic ecosystem and create an environment where residents and small business owners can coexist."