Gyeonggi Province Launches Regular Fair Trade Monitoring Unit...to Identify Unfair Trading Practices Among Enterprises

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province held a launch ceremony for the 'Gyeonggi Province Fair Trade Regular Monitoring Unit' on the 20th at the Next-Generation Convergence Technology Research Institute to investigate unfair trading practices among enterprises in the province.

Among the residents' monitoring units, the 'Fair Trade Regular Monitoring Unit' in the fair trade sector among enterprises is the first in Gyeonggi Province.

The regular monitoring unit is composed of 25 members in total: 17 from the Southern Region and 8 from the Northern Region.

Until October, these members will undertake tasks such as indirectly grasping the status of unfair trading practices among enterprises or conducting simple interviews and inquiries.
The survey results will be utilized as basic data for policy implementation.

Specific survey items include: ▲Inspection of contracts between local delivery service providers and delivery workers ▲Monitoring of misleading displays and advertisements for automobile parts consumers in the province ▲Monitoring of the use of alternative certified parts by automobile repair shops in the province ▲Monitoring the disclosure status of false or deficient franchise business information ▲Collecting data on unfair trading practices in other platform distribution and subcontracting sectors.

The province received applications for the regular monitoring unit from March 19 to 26 through the provincial government website, and made final selections through a review process consisting of first-round document screening and second-round telephone interviews.

At the launch ceremony, the province presented appointment certificates and conducted education on enhancing 'fair trade awareness sensitivity' and fair trade-related laws.

Additionally, guidance was provided regarding legal violations related to individual activities, activity methods, and COVID-19 quarantine guidelines.

Cho Byung-rae, Director of the Fair Economy Division of Gyeonggi Province, said, "The monitoring unit members will serve as guardians of fair trade in Gyeonggi Province, taking the lead in preventing harm from unequal power relationships between enterprises and playing a role in preventing blind spots in unfair trading practices. Through this monitoring activity, we will establish a foundation for fair trade in the province and contribute to the spread of a fair trade culture."

Meanwhile, last year the province conducted inspections on several unfair trading practices through the COVID-19 Hope Jobs project (fixed-term, 20 total members), including the status of parcel delivery agencies in the province, rest rights of business operators in complex shopping malls, closure status of large retailers during Chuseok holidays, and price competition and lowest-price status on OTA (Online Travel Agency) platforms for lodging businesses in the province, providing basic data. Some of the survey results achieved results in institutional improvements such as amendments to the Large-Scale Retail Law, leading to this year's regular monitoring unit.