Ministry of SMEs and Startups: "First Agreement Reached at Win-Win Mediation Committee... Resolving Payment Disputes"

Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, is delivering a keynote speech at the 4th Win-Win Coordination Committee held at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 24th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 24th that it held the 4th Win-Win Mediation Committee meeting to discuss five agenda items, including mediation and arbitration of technology theft and unfair trade cases.

The Win-Win Mediation Committee meeting was held at the Police Agency conference room in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. During the meeting, opinions were exchanged on the current status of mediation and arbitration of technology theft and unfair trade cases conducted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Police Agency’s industrial technology protection, prevention, and investigation activities, and the Patent Office’s support projects for technology assessment by other government departments.

In particular, a total of two mediation agreements were reported, including the first mediation case established through the deliberation and decision of the Win-Win Mediation Committee.

The first mediation case involved a dispute over delivery prices between A entrusted company and B entrusting company. In this case, the parties autonomously agreed on the rate of increase in delivery prices but failed to narrow the gap regarding the application period of the increased delivery prices, which led to the dispute.

The increase rates for delivery prices were agreed upon as 17%, 23%, and 47% for three items, respectively. However, the parties had different positions regarding the application period of the increased delivery prices. Company A wanted the increase to be applied from the initial request time for the price increase, while Company B insisted that the agreed delivery prices be applied from the time they were first proposed.

Subsequently, the mediation recommendation, which synthesized the opinions of both parties at the Entrustment Dispute Mediation Council, was reported to the 3rd Win-Win Mediation Committee, which finalized the original proposal. Both parties ultimately accepted this mediation recommendation, and the mediation was established on December 20 of last year.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to actively implement the matters discussed at this Win-Win Mediation Committee meeting in consultation with related organizations. The Police Agency also pledged to make every effort to prevent disputes through voluntary agreements between companies via the Win-Win Mediation Committee.

The attending members also requested flexible adjustment of interview and investigation timings to avoid increasing the burden on companies facing unprecedented difficulties due to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The public-private joint Win-Win Mediation Committee was launched in June last year to eradicate technology theft and unfair trade and to foster a culture where large and small-to-medium enterprises can grow and coexist together.

Minister Park said, "Small business owners and SMEs are going through a more difficult time than ever due to the spread of COVID-19, but what shines even brighter amid difficulties is the culture of coexistence and win-win." He added, "Government measures and efforts are crucial, but voluntary win-win efforts for sharing pain amid great difficulties are another driving force to overcome the crisis."

He also emphasized, "The Win-Win Mediation Committee, which aims for mediation and arbitration based on voluntary agreements rather than punishment and regulation, plays an important role in spreading the culture of coexistence and win-win, and will continue to do its best as a connector for voluntary agreements."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.