Small and Medium Business Ombudsman Takes Steps to Protect Corporate Complaints within Public Institutions

Attendance at the 'Corporate Civil Complaints Protection and Service Charter Proclamation Ceremony'
Establishment of the 'Corporate Civil Complaints Protection and Service Charter' in 123 Public Institutions by Year-End

Jubong Park, Small and Medium Business Ombudsman. / Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] By the end of the year, a ‘Corporate Civil Complaint Protection and Service Charter’ prohibiting disadvantages and discrimination against companies reporting regulatory difficulties will be established in 123 public institutions, strengthening the protection of small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) rights and interests.

The Small and Medium Business Ombudsman announced this on the 21st at the ‘Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporate Civil Complaint Protection Charter Proclamation Ceremony.’

The ceremony was attended by Park Joobong, Small and Medium Business Ombudsman; Jung Jaehoon, President of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP); and CEOs of partner SMEs in the KHNP Win-Win Growth Council, including Nada, Taewon Industry, YPP, and SF Technology. They shared the purpose of the charter and the necessity of protecting SMEs' rights through the corporate civil complaint protection system.

KHNP, taking this proclamation ceremony as an opportunity, pledged to thoroughly block any disadvantages and discrimination that SMEs filing complaints might face and to strengthen communication and trust.

Until now, companies, as the ‘weaker party,’ have refrained from requesting regulatory improvements and raising difficulties due to concerns about passive administration and discrimination by government agencies with licensing and disposition authority. In response, the Ombudsman has prepared the ‘Corporate Civil Complaint Protection and Service Charter’ to protect companies reporting regulatory difficulties and foster a corporate-friendly culture, which is being implemented by 23 government ministries and 243 local governments nationwide.

Furthermore, the ‘Public Institution On-site Empathy SME Regulatory Difficulty Improvement Plan’ was established to urge each public institution to set up dedicated channels for corporate civil complaint protection and SME regulatory difficulty resolution. As a result, 53 public institutions have established the Corporate Civil Complaint Protection and Service Charter, and about 70 more institutions plan to establish it by the end of this year.

Park Joobong, the Ombudsman, said, “We will strive to ensure that the Corporate Civil Complaint Protection and Service Charter is established and operated in all public institutions, and next year, we plan to inspect the implementation status of the charter among related institutions.” He added, “We will continue to work with public institutions to create a culture where entrepreneurs can be guaranteed their rightful rights.”

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