Due to social distancing, 'Business Owner-Consumer Disputes' Continue... Seoul City to Operate 'Consultation and Mediation Center' Permanently Until June

Temporary operation during social distancing level 2 or higher → Decided to operate continuously regardless of level until the end of June
Phone consultation from 10 AM to 5 PM on weekdays, making efforts to minimize damage through close cooperation with consumer organizations

On the 8th, as strong social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 continue, COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, shows a quiet scene. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As disputes between business owners and consumers continue due to the prolonged enhanced social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 9th that it will operate the 'Consumer Protection Counseling and Mediation Center' on a regular basis in cooperation with consumer organizations until June.

Seoul had previously operated the center temporarily only during social distancing level 2 or higher, but this time, even if distancing is eased, it plans to systematically provide counseling and relief for damages that have already occurred and facilitate amicable agreements between business owners and consumers to support continuous business operations and usage.

Earlier, in March and August of last year, the city jointly operated the counseling and mediation center with consumer organizations on a temporary basis to address consumer damages caused by social distancing and to facilitate amicable agreements. As a result of operating the first and second counseling and mediation centers mainly focused on the wedding industry last year, a total of 676 consumer counseling and mediation cases were completed. Since December, the operation has resumed with an expanded scope including weddings, travel, and accommodation sectors, and a total of 309 wedding-related disputes have been received and are under adjustment.

Seoul explained, "Due to the continuous receipt of damages caused by the prolonged social distancing, including the resurgence of COVID-19, the center has been expanded to regular operation until June for prompt response and systematic counseling and mediation."

When a consumer dispute case is received at the center, professional counselors attempt dispute resolution through direct mediation between consumers and business operators to reach an agreement. If an agreement is not reached despite these efforts, the case is linked to a simplified ‘one-stop dispute mediation service’ supported by consumer organizations.

General dispute mediation has been inconvenient for consumers due to complicated preparation documents and an average duration of 4 to 5 months, but the one-stop dispute mediation service immediately connects the damage counseling to the ‘voluntary dispute mediation’ of the Korea Consumer Organization Council, reducing the time for rights protection and the costs involved in disputes.

Counseling and mediation are available at the Consumer Protection Counseling and Mediation Center and are conducted only by phone to ensure accurate explanation and communication regarding the related situation. Counseling is conducted by professional counselors affiliated with the Korea Consumer Organization Council, and counseling hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Park Ju-seon, Director of Fair Economy at Seoul City, said, “Due to the prolonged social distancing causing repeated consumer damages, we have expanded and changed the counseling and mediation center to operate regularly for prompt adjustment through public-private cooperation. We will actively support overcoming these difficult times caused by COVID-19 by prioritizing mediation through close cooperation with consumer organizations to facilitate amicable agreements between business operators and consumers.”

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