The KCA’s move to work with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and the Hong Kong Consumer Council (HKCC) will see online shoppers receive support and help from the countries involved if they want to file a consumer complaint against a website that operates abroad. (Image: Korea Consumer Agency)
SEOUL, May 26 (Korea Bizwire) – The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) has signed a business agreement with Singapore and Hong Kong, which will ensure safe online shopping for consumers from each country, the organization said yesterday.
The KCA’s move to work with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and the Hong Kong Consumer Council (HKCC) will see online shoppers receive support and help from the countries involved if they want to file a consumer complaint against a website that operates abroad.
South Korean online shoppers will get help from Singapore and Hong Kong while the KCA will offer the same help to shoppers in the two countries.
Amid growing consumer complaints, the KCA signed similar agreements with a number of consumer organizations abroad, including the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, the Vietnam Competition Authority, the Better Business Bureau in the U.S., and the Office of the Consumer Protection Board in Thailand over the past two years.
According to a consumer counseling center operated by the Fair Trade Commission, a total of 11,118 complaints were filed against international shopping websites, up 24.2 percent from the previous year.
When broken down by item, clothes and shoes accounted for nearly 32 percent, followed by plane tickets (20 percent) and accommodations (10.7 percent).
M.H.Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
clothes and shoes accounted for nearly 32 percent,