Rep. Yoo Dong-su of the Democratic Party of Korea [provided by the lawmaker's office]
Rep. Yoo Dong-su of the Democratic Party of Korea [provided by the lawmaker's office]

Rep. Yoo Dong-su of the Democratic Party of Korea, who represents Incheon's Gyeyang-gap district and chairs the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, announced Tuesday that he had introduced a bill to amend the Consumer Framework Act to strengthen the Korea Consumer Agency's authority to demand documents from businesses and impose penalties on those who refuse to comply.

Under the current Consumer Framework Act, the Korea Consumer Agency handles consumer complaints, provides redress for damages, conducts product testing and inspections, and carries out market investigations to protect consumer rights. The agency may request businesses to submit relevant data and information needed to carry out those duties and, in urgent cases, may collect product samples. Businesses are required to comply unless they have legitimate grounds for refusal.

The law currently contains no separate penalty provision for businesses that refuse to submit documents, limiting the agency's ability to obtain the information it needs. As a result, some consumer dispute cases have ended without resolution, and improvements to unfair trade practices have been delayed, leaving consumers without timely protection.

The proposed amendment would establish a distinct legal basis for the agency to request documents in cases where enforcement is particularly critical, and would allow fines to be imposed on businesses that refuse or obstruct document submissions or sample collections without legitimate cause.

"Consumers are a vital pillar of our national economy, and protecting their rights is a state obligation essential to a healthy market," Yoo said. "I expect this amendment to encourage businesses to actively comply with the Korea Consumer Agency's legitimate requests for information."


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