The KCA signed an MOU with the Department of Consumer Protection of Taiwan

- The KCA expands its support for the resolution of consumer complaints involving cross-border transactions through the MOU -

    In order to efficiently respond to an increasing number of cross-border consumer complaints, the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) (President Lee Hee-sook) signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on resolving consumer complaints related to cross-border transactions’ with the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP)*, Executive Yuan, Republic of China (Taiwan) on August 29 (Thu) at the KCA Head Office in Chungcheongbuk-do.

    * Department of Consumer Protection (DCP): an operative unit under the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China, which is responsible for establishing and revising consumer policies and laws, mediating consumer disputes, providing consumer education, etc.

    As the number of people-to-people exchanges between Korea and Taiwan surpassed one million last year, and consumer complaints related to cross-border transactions have continued to increase, it has been suggested that a network for the resolution of cross-border consumer complaints should be established between Korea and Taiwan. The signing of the MOU with the Department of Consumer Protection of Taiwan is expected to contribute to a more effective resolution of consumer complaints involving travelling to Taiwan or online shopping malls in Taiwan.

    In many cases, consumers have difficulty resolving complaints arising from cross-border transactions due to differences in languages, time and space, and for this reason, the KCA has supported the consumers to resolve cross-border complaints by receiving consumer complaints, providing information, and cooperating with overseas consumer organizations through ‘Cross Border Transaction Consumer Portal (http://crossborder.kca.go.kr).’

    * Last year, the number of consumer complaints received through Cross Border Transaction Consumer Portal increased by 175% (1,463 cases in 2017 → 4,027 cases in 2018), and the KCA signed MOUs for the resolution of consumer complaints related to cross-border transactions with 11 different overseas consumer protection organizations in the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, etc.

    Under the MOU between the KCA and the DCP, if the KCA receives from a Korean consumer a consumer complaint arising in the process of using a product or service offered by a business in Taiwan, the KCA refers the case to the DCP and then the DCP provides support for the resolution of the complaint, and vice versa.

    Going forward, the KCA plans to make efforts to eliminate blind spots in the rights and interests of consumers associated with cross-border transactions by expanding its international cooperation networks.