Changwon Convention Center to 'Refund' Remaining Parking Time... Civic Group 'Welcomes'

Masan YMCA Citizen Mediation Office held a press conference welcoming the refund policy improvement plan prepared by Changwon Convention Center. / Photo by Se-ryeong Lee ryeong@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Changwon Convention Center (CECO) in Gyeongnam plans to refund unused parking time purchased by event organizers after September.

On the 14th, the Masan YMCA Citizen Mediation Office, which claimed in July that the Changwon Convention Center's parking fee refund policy was unfavorable to consumers, held a press conference at Changwon City Hall and expressed welcome for the center's plan to improve the refund regulations.

The center announced in an official letter on the 5th that from September, if there is unused time on paid parking tickets, the remaining fees will be refunded to the ticket purchasers.

According to the status of parking fee settlement differences secured by Masan YMCA through information disclosure from Changwon City, unused or unrefunded fees from January 2020 to June this year over two and a half years amount to 12 million KRW, revealing that 10-15% of the monthly average parking ticket sales amount was not refunded.

The YMCA stated, "It is clear that the unreasonable practice of unfair fee collection has continued, but it is commendable that the refund regulations were established by accepting the reasonable demands of consumer groups," and added, "We welcome the rational decision made to enhance citizens' rights and interests."

They further urged, "If retroactive refunds for unfairly collected parking fees during the past period are difficult, prepare and implement a social contribution plan to return the funds to the citizens of Changwon."

Lee Seong-il, Head of Management Planning Team at Changwon Convention Center Project Group, explaining the background of the decision to refund unused parking ticket time. / Photo by Lee Se-ryeong ryeong@

Lee Seong-il, head of the Management Planning Team at the Changwon Convention Center Project Group, said, "The parking ticket sales system has been implemented since 2009 to allow event organizers to provide free parking services to participants and to reduce the parking fee burden on participants."

He explained, "After reviewing the law with multiple legal experts, we concluded that the parking ticket sales regulations could not be judged as illegal, but as a public facility, we decided on refunds considering the convenience of event organizers and participants to the fullest."

The Changwon Convention Center plans to implement refunds for the remaining balance of all parking tickets sold from September.

When selling parking tickets, tickets with unique numbers will be issued to purchasers, and if there is a remaining amount, it will be refunded to the purchaser through the unique number.

Lee said, "Costs such as entering unique numbers and establishing a settlement system could lead to increased parking fees, which might disadvantage consumers. However, our center decided to prioritize the convenience of event organizers and participants from a public perspective rather than the costs incurred by the center."

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