Strengthening education for consumers in local communities to realize social values

- The KCA conducts a training program to cultivate regional consumer education specialists in collaboration with Chungcheongbuk-do -

    The Korea Consumer Agency(KCA) will train consumer education specialists for socially disadvantaged classes including elderly people, multi-cultural families, etc. in Chungcheongbuk-do to contribute to the local community following the relocation of public organizations to local areas. The regional consumer activists recommended by Chungcheongbuk-do, Chungbuk National University, and Chungnam National University will participate in the training program for consumer education specialists run for three days from April 18 to 20.

    The training program was organized through the consultations between the KCA and Chungcheongbuk-do to protect socially-disadvantaged classes including aged people, multi-cultural families, etc. and promote the rights and interests of consumers in local communities who can be easily marginalized and ignored.

    In fact, the socially disadvantaged people in Chungcheongbuk-do account for 17.8% of its total population, and according to 1372 Consumer Counseling Center, the number of counseling cases for elderly consumers in 2017 increased by 2.6% compared to last year (1,068 (6.1%) in 2016 → 1,552 (8.7%) in 2017).

    The training program for consumer eduction specialists is comprised of the classes centering on ways to deal with damage regarding ▲smartphone contracts, ▲medical services, ▲health functional foods, ▲voice phishing, etc. occurring frequently in elderly consumers.

    Trainees who complete the training program will be appointed as the KCA’s consumer education specialists for Chungcheongbuk-do for one year, and conduct consumer education for elderly people, etc. in that area.

    The KCA said it hoped the training program could contribute to the protection of the rights and interests of socially disadvantaged classes in Chungcheongbuk-do, and the local community.