1. Reasons for Amendment

 There has been a growing number of consumer inquiries, disputes, and associated damages in the course of electronic commerce transactions involving overseas electronic commerce businesses and overseas platforms, but it is difficult to enforce consumer protection obligations on business entities that do not have a domestic address or business establishment. At the same time, there is a need for an institutional device to provide consumers with timely, cost-effective relief for minor damages caused by breaches of the Act on the Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce committed by business entities, which requires an amendment to the law. 

2. Major Provisions

A. Require overseas business entities to designate domestic agents (Article 20-4, Article 32, Article 39, and Article 45)

1) Prescribe mandatory designation of a domestic agent by any business that does not have a domestic address or place of business and whose (domestic) sales and number of users exceeds a certain threshold (Article 20-4)

  2) Prescribe that an order for corrective measures shall be issued in the event of non-compliance with obligations regarding the designation of domestic agents (Article 32) 

  3) Modify provisions to which the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act apply mutatis mutandis to allow documents to be delivered to domestic agents (Article 39)

  4) Impose an administrative fine in the event of non-compliance with obligations regarding the designation of domestic agents (Article 45)

B. Introduce a consent decree system (Article 32-2 and Article 32-3)

  1) Introduce a consent decree system into the Act on the Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce for timely and effective relief of damages caused by consumer deception (Article 32-2)

  2) In the event that a consent decree is not adopted, impose a charge for compelling compliance until a consent decree is adopted or revoked (Article 32-3)