[Column] "Onpleob is the Government's Sole Proposal"... Jo Seong-wook Emphasizes Fair Trade Commission's Jurisdiction

Chairman Seongwook Jo (file photo)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] "The ‘Act on the Fairness of Online Platform Intermediated Transactions (Onple Law)’ is a single and agreed-upon plan prepared by the government."

As disagreements between ministries continued to arise over the Onple Law that the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is pushing to enact, Chairman Cho Sung-wook drew a clear line himself. On the 9th, Chairman Cho told reporters, "The National Assembly will feel a different weight regarding (the FTC’s proposal)," highlighting the procedural legitimacy of the government’s plan.

The Onple Law requires platform operators and tenant businesses to mandatorily draft and provide contracts, and aims to regulate acts such as coercing economic benefits, shifting losses, interfering with management activities, and retaliatory measures. The FTC had previously announced the Onple Law for legislative notice in September last year.

That day’s briefing seemed to emphasize inter-ministerial tensions rather than the passage of the Onple Law. At a forum on the ‘Online Platform User Protection Act’ on the 5th, Broadcasting and Communications Commission Chairman Han Sang-hyuk said, "The KCC will also do its best to prepare user-centered policies that benefit the public," which was seen as a response to Chairman Cho’s remarks. The KCC supports the bill proposed by Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Hye-sook, which assigns platform regulation exclusively to the KCC.

From Chairman Cho’s standpoint, his remarks may have been for the sake of the organization. However, by only emphasizing the procedural legitimacy of the bill, the opportunity to actively promote the purpose of proposing the Onple Law was ultimately missed. There is no indication of an intention to persuade the National Assembly to pass the bill as quickly as possible.

This controversy can ultimately be perceived by the public as a turf war between ministries. Platform regulations intended to strongly protect tenant businesses and consumers have instead become a power struggle. While this should prompt sufficient consultation during the legislative process where ministries’ interests conflict, it is also necessary to consider who the law is truly for.

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