"Stop Digital Harm"... Government Makes All-Out Effort to Ensure Consumer Safety

6th Basic Consumer Policy Plan on the 18th
Enhanced Safety Management for Electric Vehicles, IoT, and Digital Therapeutic Devices
Strengthened Sanctions on Consumer Deceptive Practices Including Undisclosed Advertising

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration has placed the emphasis of consumer policy on ‘consumer safety.’ This decision comes from the urgent need to devise measures to ensure public safety as the possibility of consumer harm due to new technologies and new types of products gradually increases.

On the 18th, the Consumer Policy Committee approved the ‘6th Basic Plan for Consumer Policy,’ which includes these details. The Consumer Policy Committee is an organization that establishes, reviews, and decides on government-wide consumer policies, and it drafts a basic plan outlining the direction of consumer policy every three years. The chairpersons are jointly held by the Prime Minister and a civilian committee member.

This basic plan serves as the de facto consumer policy guideline of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, applicable from next year through 2026. The vision is ‘A Safe and Fair Digital and Green Economy Transition Together with Consumers.’ Centered on this vision and the national agenda, four major policy goals (Safety, Transactions, Capability, Damage Relief and Policy Cooperation) and ten core tasks were selected.

The Consumer Policy Committee explained that safety was emphasized. A committee official stated, “As new technologies rapidly emerge, the possibility of consumer harm arises, so there is a great need to respond,” adding, “We will actively ensure consumer safety from software, artificial intelligence, algorithms, and so forth.” They further noted, “It is fair to say that safety is the key point of this administration’s consumer policy.”

Strengthening Sanctions Against Consumer Deceptive Practices Such as Undisclosed Advertising

The committee plans to establish a safety management system for new technologies and new types of consumer products. They will also formulate a comprehensive government-wide safety policy through the enactment of the Consumer Safety Basic Act. For electric vehicles, the Internet of Things (IoT), and digital therapeutic devices, safety management will be strengthened separately. They plan to raise monitoring levels to prevent safety blind spots caused by new technologies that did not previously exist.

Additionally, safety inspections of agricultural, livestock, and fishery products, origin management levels, and monitoring of recalled products in online shopping malls will be intensified. Harmful foods and products online will be swiftly blocked from distribution.

In the transaction sector, sanctions against acts that deceive consumers will be strengthened. Online unfair advertisements such as undisclosed advertising and manipulated reviews will be monitored and corrected, and investigations, sanctions, and legal system improvements regarding online dark patterns will be pursued. Furthermore, initiatives will be promoted such as easy-to-use kiosks for digital vulnerable groups, improved charging conditions for electric and hydrogen vehicles, guaranteeing the choice of reusable containers, and revitalizing dispute mediation systems.

Along with the basic plan, the committee also approved measures to strengthen price monitoring and information provision to enhance basic consumer rights and interests. This decision was made based on the assessment that the livelihood economy is difficult due to international raw material prices and prolonged rainy seasons. The Price Monitoring Center of the Korea Consumer Organization Council will conduct bi-monthly delivery fee surveys by platform, and starting next year, the survey targets will expand to include pharmaceuticals, education, cultural services, and housing management. In the second half of this year, special price surveys will also begin targeting subscription services and local festivals.

Meanwhile, 269 tasks were pursued last year under the 5th Basic Plan, with an evaluation score of 80.5 points (excellent). Twelve tasks, including policies to bridge the digital divide, received a ‘very excellent’ rating.

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