Lee Soonmi Appointed as First Female Standing Commissioner of the Fair Trade Commission

The Fair Trade Commission announced on October 30 that Lee Soonmi, head of the Seoul Regional Office of the Fair Trade Commission, will be appointed as its new Standing Commissioner. This marks the first time since the establishment of the Fair Trade Commission that a woman has been appointed to the Standing Commissioner position, which is equivalent to a director-general level.

Lee, the newly appointed Standing Commissioner, graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Biological Education and entered public service after passing the 40th Administrative Examination. Since then, she has worked exclusively at the Fair Trade Commission, serving in a wide range of roles including Director of the Bid-Rigging Investigation Division, Director of the Franchise Transaction Division, Director of Planning and Coordination, and Head of the Seoul Regional Office. She also gained extensive experience in case adjudication while working as an officer and as an adjudication officer in the Adjudication Management Office.

Most recently, she has overseen the work of the Seoul Regional Office, which is responsible for handling reports and civil complaints in the Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, and Gangwon-do areas. She has been recognized as a competent administrator for her contributions to handling consumer damage cases and cases protecting economically vulnerable groups.

In 2008, Lee became the first woman to serve as a division director at the Fair Trade Commission. She continued to break new ground as the first woman to be promoted to Deputy Director-General in 2019 and to Director-General in 2021.

Within the organization, she is regarded as a passionate manager who lives by the principle, "If it is necessary, do it, and once you do it, do your best."

The Fair Trade Commission stated, "As a fair trade expert with experience in various fields, she is expected to make significant contributions to future adjudications of the Commission."

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