The Dilemma of the 'Junggi Ombudsman'... "Are They on the Side of Companies or the Government?"

Controversy has arisen over the strength test evaluation criteria for automotive coupling devices. The top is the American-style automotive coupling device, and the bottom is the European-style automotive coupling device.
[Photo by Kurt Korea]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] "The government believes that the current method of application is necessary. Let's think together about how to resolve this."

This was a comforting remark from Park Ju-bong, Deputy Minister-level Ombudsman for Small and Medium Enterprises, to a small business representative requesting regulatory improvements. Usually, Park’s response would be, "We will work it out in consultation with the relevant ministry," so this expression of consolation is unusual. It can also be interpreted as a signal that it is not easy for the government to ease regulations to the extent companies expect.

At the 'S.O.S. Talk, Small and Medium Enterprise Meeting' held on the 18th at the Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency in Suwon City, Kurt Korea, an importer and seller of American-style automotive coupling devices, voiced complaints about the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s 'Automotive Coupling Device Strength Test Evaluation Standards.'

According to Kurt Korea and related industries, since 2019, devices connecting automobiles and camping trailers in Korea have been required to undergo mandatory strength tests according to these evaluation standards. Approximately 12,000 coupling devices are sold annually in the domestic market, including American-style, European-style, and Australian-style?which is very similar to the American style.

The European style is incompatible with anything other than trailers produced in Europe. European trailers rarely exceed 2 tons for camping trailers, and the height of the coupling point is fixed between 35 and 42 cm. In contrast, the American style is compatible with trailers produced in other countries, allows adjustable coupling heights, and supports a wide range of vehicle sizes from a minimum of 0.9 tons up to 9 tons.

Therefore, all countries except Europe use the American style, and about half of the domestic market also uses the American style. The problem arises because the domestic strength test standards require both American and European styles to be evaluated according to the European style. Choi Chae-hwan, CEO of Kurt Korea, stated, "The European strength test pushes and pulls the device 2 million times from the rear, while the American strength test pushes and pulls from above, below, and the side. They are completely different," and claimed, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport mistakenly believes the European strength test is stricter than the American one and is enforcing the European style."

With the European strength test being mandated, domestic companies selling American-style coupling devices modify the structure of their devices to pass the test. As a result, a system introduced to enhance safety is ironically increasing the risk of safety accidents due to structural modifications.

CEO Choi appealed, "Various loopholes are being exploited to pass the strength test, which has actually increased the risk of safety accidents due to structural modifications of the coupling devices. While we agree that testing is necessary for safety, we do not agree that the European test is stricter than the American one. Please allow American-style devices to undergo American-style strength tests." Kurt Korea claims it has suffered at least 300 million won in damages after being unable to operate for two years since the introduction of the related system.

However, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport remains firm. While the number of registered vehicles per kilometer of road is only 43 in the U.S., it reaches 215.7 in Korea. Considering the more congested road conditions in Korea compared to the U.S., the ministry argues that stricter safety standards are necessary to prevent secondary accidents such as collisions involving surrounding vehicles caused by safety accidents. A ministry official stated, "The American test method is difficult to apply to automotive coupling devices that experience repeated loads from multiple directions," and insisted, "It is necessary to apply the current method, which involves repeated load durability testing."

The Small and Medium Enterprise Ombudsman, a government agency that resolves unreasonable regulations and difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises, is deeply concerned. While understanding the difficult circumstances of the companies, it also understands the ministry’s position. An official from the SME Ombudsman said, "One of the biggest obstacles in negotiating regulatory improvements with relevant ministries on behalf of companies is safety issues," adding, "There is also an aspect of understanding the opposing ministry’s reluctance to improve regulations based on safety threats." The official further stated, "As an agency that exists to listen to and resolve the difficulties of small businesses, we will consider whether there are areas for improvement without compromising safety and will do our best to negotiate."

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