Republic of Korea: Adopted Bill amending Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce Act/Bill no. 2120122)

On 27 February 2023, the National Assembly adopted the Bill amending Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce Act/Bill no. 2120122). The Bill would broaden competencies for certain institutions. Previously, the Fair Trade Commission was the only authority to establish a fair trade order for e-commerce and mail-order to prevent and provide data on consumer damage. Under the Bill, the city governor, the mayor and the ward mayor may also use electronic methods to search for public information disclosed in the information network by businesses. The affected businesses shall not refuse or interfere with the search for information by the aforementioned actors. Furthermore, businesses would be required to comply with requests to share data from the Fair Trade Commission, the city governor, the mayor, and the ward mayor.