Consumer complaint counseling, legal referrals and dispute guidance offered across 8 channels tailored to disability type; center has prevented 540 million won in losses over three years, with 89% satisfaction rate

[Herald DB]
[Herald DB]

A man with an intellectual disability — identified only as A — visited a mobile carrier's retail outlet after seeing an advertisement promising lower phone bills. When his guardian reviewed the contract, it contained several agreements A had not understood, including two tablet PCs. The guardian asked the store to cancel the contracts but was turned away on the grounds that it was a simple change of mind. The guardian then turned to Seoul's consumer protection counseling center for people with disabilities, which mediated the case and connected the family with a law firm. Together, they conveyed the circumstances of A's contracts and the resulting harm to the carrier's customer service team and requested an adjustment. As a result, A and his guardian recovered 1.6 million won ($1,030) in financial losses, including the cancellation of the two tablet PC contracts.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's consumer protection counseling center for people with disabilities said it had handled a cumulative 28,000 consultations over the past three years, preventing roughly 540 million won in financial losses.

People with disabilities sometimes face barriers to clear communication due to the nature of their conditions, leaving them vulnerable to disputes or harm when purchasing goods or signing contracts. A probe by the National Assembly and the Ministry of Science and ICT found that more than 6,000 people with disabilities had opened three or more mobile phone lines with the country's three major carriers. In one extreme case, a single individual had opened 21 lines.

In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched the consumer protection counseling center for people with disabilities in 2020 to serve as a communication bridge between disabled consumers and sellers, provide swift relief and help resolve disputes.

The center offers consumer complaint counseling, legal referrals, guidance on dispute-resolution procedures, consumer fraud prevention education and accessibility consultations. Recognizing that communication needs vary by disability type, it operates eight counseling channels — including phone consultations, sign-language video calls and text-based messaging.

Last year, the center also ran five sessions of a mobile outreach program, delivering on-site consultations to more than 170 people.

A satisfaction survey of 67 users conducted in 2025 found that 89 percent were satisfied with the center's services, and 88 percent said they would recommend the center to others facing similar difficulties.

To improve its services, the center established a real-time communication channel via KakaoTalk earlier this year with member institutions of the Seoul Association of Welfare Centers for the Disabled. The system ensures that people with disabilities who suffer consumer harm through those institutions can be referred to the center immediately.

"People with disabilities can be more vulnerable to consumer harm because of difficulties understanding contract terms or communicating during the process," said Yun Jong-jang, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's welfare office. "Seoul will work to protect the rights of disabled consumers and create a safe consumer environment through tailored counseling and dispute-relief support that takes each person's disability into account."


ikson@heraldcorp.com