This file photo shows the city of Jeju and the Mount Halla on Jeju Island. (Yonhap)
JEJU, Dec. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — In general, the petitions made public on an online petition site run by the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae are filed by individuals for various reasons.
They use the website to call for the improvement of institutional systems or to make an appeal against injustice.
This time, however, the Jeju provincial government has filed a petition.
In collaboration with a local consumer rights group, the provincial government decided to file a petition aimed at addressing the e-commerce practice of levying extra delivery charges for customers residing off of the South Korean mainland or in other areas with poor access.
At present, residents of Jeju Island must pay additional charges when taking delivery of the items they order through e-commerce sites.
The provincial government announced on Tuesday that the petition will be filed by the consumer rights group ‘Jeju Green Consumer Solidarity’, which is aimed at promoting consumer rights for island residents.
The provincial government said it will support the consumer rights group’s efforts to attract more people to sign in the petition.
Consumers living on islands or in other hard-to-reach mountainous areas are charged about 1,500 to 2,000 won (US$1.36-1.82) more for the delivery of items ordered through most popular e-commerce sites.
The provincial government claimed that sellers are unilaterally passing on delivery costs to consumers simply because ships or airplanes are used during the process of delivering items.
The provincial government plans to ask the central government and the National Assembly to come up with reasonable standards and systems to address what it considers to be an unfair practice.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
