Fair Trade Commission to Notify Complainants Immediately When Cases Are Referred for Deliberation

Moving forward, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) will accelerate the speed of procedural notifications to complainants and provide them with opportunities to voice their opinions.

The KFTC announced that it has prepared an amendment to the 'Rules on the Operation of Meetings and Case Procedures of the Fair Trade Commission' (Case Procedure Rules) and will conduct an administrative notice for 20 days, from June 17 to July 7.

First, the commission has mandated that investigators notify complainants at the same time they submit an examination report to the plenary session or a sub-committee.

Under the current Case Procedure Rules, the KFTC is required to notify complainants of the scheduling of deliberations in advance and provide them with an opportunity to state their opinions during the deliberation process.

The change ensures that complainants are notified as early as the report submission stage, allowing them to be aware that their case has been referred for deliberation sooner and to prepare more effectively for the proceedings.

A legal basis has also been established to allow complainants to participate in the preliminary opinion-hearing process.

The preliminary opinion-hearing process is a step where investigators and the accused party present their arguments and clarify key issues before the commissioners prior to the formal deliberation.

Complainants will now be permitted to participate in this process to express their views.

In addition, the reporting form for unfair labeling and advertising will now require applicants to disclose whether they have filed reports with other government agencies.

This is intended to verify potential duplicate reports in advance.

A KFTC official stated, "Through this amendment, the provision of information to complainants during the KFTC's case handling process will be expanded, and opportunities for participation in the preliminary opinion-hearing process will be guaranteed," adding, "We expect this to further enhance the transparency and fairness of our dispositions."

(Photo: Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.