We’ll provide trustworthy and fair consumer information

- Online product information portal, www.tgate.or.kr has opened-

In celebrating ‘‘Consumer Day’’ on December 3, 2008, the Korea Consumer Agency (President: Myung-Hee Park) has opened the online product information portal, ‘T-gate’ and conducted pilot tests.    

T-gate is the abbreviation for ‘‘Trust Gate for Consumers,” and it aims to become a reliable information portal inducing all consumers’ participation and information sharing as well as wise consumption.      

T-gate features a wide range of consumer product information, including prices by item, review information, purchasing guides, comparative information, and etc.  Consumers are able to access to one-stop information source and search the information on their desirable products via T-gate.      

T-gate has been established based on Web 2.0 system in order to encourage consumer participation in information production and information sharing.   

T-gate will be officially launched in March 2009 after the completion of three month pilot tests.

The Korea Consumer Agency recommends consumers to participate in T-gate as it will provide credible and fair product information regarding consumable goods.

* Attachment

Q & A

1. What is T-gate?

O It is goods and services information online portal that the Korean Consumer Agency has opened in celebration of the Consumer Day on December 3, 2008.  T-gate is the abbreviation for ‘‘Trust Gate for Consumers’’ - T-gate stands for trustworthy portal for wise consumption, a portal that all consumers participate and share information.   T-gate features a wide range of consumer product information such as prices by item, review information, purchasing guides and comparative information so that consumers may search the information on their desirable products via T-gate as their one-stop information source.     

o T-gate provides fair and credible information that the Korea Consumer Agency generates.  Moreover, T-gate has been established based on Web 2.0 system so that consumer can use the KCA’s information, participate in the consumer information production and communicate via T-gate.

2. T-gate main menus and contents

□ Comparative Report

o Comparative Report offers comparative information including product testing results, consumers’ various service preferences, consumer satisfaction, and etc.  T-gate conducts in depth surveys and analysis in order to provide comparative product information that consumers actually seek, offering consumer information in the final processed stage.        

o It contains comparative surveys on general hospitals’ health checkup services in Seoul, family restaurant preferences, and more.   

□ Consumer Specialist

o Consumer Specialist section is made by consumers.  It features current issue regarding goods, current trends, various product reviews, and product trial experiences composed by participation from the experts and consumer specialists.  

o It also contains extensive review information including experts’ reviews on electronic tooth brushes, consumer specialists’ reviews on instant cooked rice and sanitary napkins, college & graduate school students’ trial experiences in digital devices which have been collected from the pubic student contest.  

□ Price Information

o Online shopping mall items can be compared in real time by manufacturers, by brand, or by price category.  In addition, selling conditions and prices can be compared at the same time.  

□ Consuemr Life Plus

o T-gate offers the Consumer Life Plus section in order to promote wise consumption. It offers guides to reasonable buying decisions, rational advices for right item selection, useful information for daily life, necessary urgent information for consumers, and consumer claims statistics of the Korea Consumer Agency.        

o It provides consumer damage statistics and precautionary measures for various consumer issues regarding airline mileage programs, hair dyes, anti spyware, implants, condominium use, study aid materials, funeral service operators, car insurance, and damages from endoscopic surgery.  Moreover, a wide range of consumer information and purchasing guides are embedded within the feature, including information for humidifiers, digital door locks, laundry detergents, contact lenses, electronic dictionary, school uniforms, and etc.