Fair Trade Comprehensive Support Center Opens... One-Stop Support from Consultation to Litigation

Covering All Power Imbalance Sectors Including Franchising, Agency, and Subcontracting
Expansion of Free Litigation Support for Small Businesses

The Korea Fair Trade Mediation Agency, under the Fair Trade Commission, has launched the Fair Trade Comprehensive Support Center, which provides integrated support for small and medium-sized business owners experiencing unfair practices, ranging from consultation to litigation. With the opening of this center, a one-stop system to provide relief for all types of power imbalance relationships—including franchising, agency, subcontracting, and distribution—is now expected to take shape.

On April 1, the Korea Fair Trade Mediation Agency held an opening ceremony for the Fair Trade Comprehensive Support Center at its Seoul headquarters, attended by Fair Trade Commission Chairman Joo Byunggi and Vice Chairman Choi Jeonnam of the Korea Federation of SMEs, among others. The center has set its vision as "providing a comprehensive one-stop service for all power imbalance sectors" and aims to enhance on-site, practical support.

In his congratulatory speech, Chairman Joo Byunggi stated, "I expect that the effective operation of the center will help take the relief support system for power imbalance relationships to the next level," and added, "To ensure the stable operation of the center, we will actively support legislative discussions on the Fair Trade Dispute Mediation Act."

The center is responsible for providing specialized counseling and free legal support, including litigation, for all small and medium-sized business owners affected by violations of the Fair Trade Act, as well as laws governing subcontracting, franchising, distribution, and agency. In particular, for small businesses that give up seeking relief due to the burden of litigation costs, the center plans to expand its litigation support attorney pool, increase litigation representation to more than 50 cases annually, and expand support for drafting and reviewing legal documents to more than 100 cases each year.

Additionally, the center will operate business owner training programs and improve access to education through online content, while also providing tailored consulting services to diagnose potential legal risks in advance. Furthermore, by selecting outstanding companies for win-win cooperation and holding roundtable discussions, the center plans to actively reflect industry issues in policy formulation.

Last year, the mediation agency handled 4,407 disputes, achieving relief effects totaling approximately 122.1 billion won. With the opening of the new center, a comprehensive system has now been established to connect pre-mediation consultation with litigation support in cases where mediation fails. Business owners who require in-depth counseling regarding unfair trade practices can receive assistance by calling the dedicated consultation number (1588-1490).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.