Water and Consignment Dispute Mediation Council, Restart with Enhanced Functions and Authority

Appointment and Plaque Unveiling Ceremony Held on the 25th

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Lee Young) announced on the 25th that it held a committee appointment ceremony and a plaque unveiling ceremony to mark the new start of the Consignment Dispute Mediation Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Dispute Mediation Committee), whose functions and authority have been significantly strengthened in accordance with the amendment of the "Act on the Promotion of Mutual Cooperation between Large and Small Enterprises."

The Dispute Mediation Committee was first established in 2005 at the Korea Foundation for Small and Medium Business Cooperation to support the autonomous mediation of disputes between consignors and consignees. With the recent enforcement of the amended Mutual Cooperation Act to enhance the effectiveness of the dispute mediation system, it has been reborn as a specialized mediation body for consignment disputes with solid legal grounds, enhanced authority, and mediation effectiveness.

Minister Lee Young of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (center front row) is taking a commemorative photo with the appointed committee members after the appointment ceremony of the Consignment Dispute Mediation Council at the Foundation for Cooperation between Large, Small and Medium Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 25th.

The newly launched Dispute Mediation Committee has appointed 20 related experts as members, including 11 lawyers, 2 patent attorneys, 2 certified public accountants, 1 university professor, and 4 businesspeople well-versed in inter-company transactions. Lawyer Lee Jin-man was designated as the chairman.

The Dispute Mediation Committee now has the legal authority to request the submission of materials or attendance from the parties involved in the dispute or witnesses, enabling accurate fact-finding. In addition, the mediation agreement issued by the Dispute Mediation Committee, which contains the consent of the parties to enforce compulsory execution, is granted civil enforceability. The parties to the dispute must comply with the contents of the mediation agreement and submit the results of such compliance to the Dispute Mediation Committee. Furthermore, to encourage active participation in mediation by the parties, if the mediation is concluded and the agreed contents are implemented, administrative sanctions by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups will be exempted.

Minister Lee Young said, "Once the Dispute Mediation Committee is fully operational, it is expected that small and medium consignees, who have had to endure unfairness due to the inability to bear the high costs and time of litigation against unfair trade practices by consignors, will be able to receive relief more promptly and effectively."

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