Korea Consumer Agency Hosting Policy Seminar

for Senior Consumers

- Co-hosted by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the KCA -

Preemptive and effective policies for senior consumers are needed in response to Senior Shift Era which means consumers and economic entities age all together.

The Korea Consumer Agency(President Han Kyeon-pyo) and Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs(President Kim Sang-ho) along with National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan(President Tsuneo Matsumoto) have called for social interests regarding senior consumer issues and held a policy seminar on June 1 in L Tower in Seoul.

The large-scale seminar, which was held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Korea Consumer Agency, is composed of opening ceremony, keynote speech, presentations and panel discussions jointed by 20 related organizations.

The three presidents have delivered an opening and congratulatory address. President Han Kyeon-pyo said “given that an increasing range of senior consumer counseling is bigger than that of elderly population, creating a senior-friendly market as well as improving consumer capacities are a prerequisite to consumer welfare and the vitality of overall market. Thus, the KCA will actively continue to respond.

Discussions continued following 3 keynote speeches under the title of “current state and tasks of Korean and Japanese senior consumer policy.” In session 2, there were presentations and panel discussions with the topic of “Korea and Japan’s response to creating a senior-friendly market”, and “improving consumer capacities for Korean and Japanese senior consumers.”

90 participants from 30 organizations including businesses, academia, civil groups, local governments and government-related organizations that are interested in senior consumer issues have joined the seminar to learn from experience by Japanese local governments and to engage in active discussions about Korea’s response to handling senior consumer issues.

Bae Soon-young, team leader from KCA, argued that “we should increase consumer counselling and information offering in order to prevent damage from growing senior consumers. However, senior consumer counselling in Korea is remarkably lower than that of in Japan. In response, organizing local counselling systems such as ‘networks exclusive for senior consumers(見守ネットワ？ク)’ run by Japanese local governments, establishing a senior consumer center in the senior-friendly industrial market and educating senior consumers are required.”

The Korea Consumer Agency has given a priority to “protecting vulnerable consumers including the aged” focusing on counselling, research？examination and education regarding issues such as deceit targeted at senior citizens, medical treatment and healthcare markets. In addition, based on the completion of “comprehensive plans for senior consumer policy”, the KCA will make a recommendation to related departments to promote the rights and interests of senior consumers.