The Macao Consumer Council and the Korea Consumer signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Macao on 9 April to strengthen their work regarding consumer protection and for the set-up of joint co-operation to safeguard consumer rights of citizens in both places when traveling in each other’s region.

People are always traveling nowadays, better protection on cross-border travel has become crucial in the work of consumer organizations, the Macao Consumer Council therefore sets up co-operation mechanism with consumer organizations in different countries and regions to resolve the situation in which citizens’ and tourists’ rights to claim are limited due to differences in legislations, language barrier, business practices, and geographical problems.

Korea is one of the popular destinations of Macao citizens and the number of inbound tourists from Korea keeps on increasing, with visitor arrivals hit a record of over 800,000 in 2018. Consumer disputes are expected to rise due to the more frequent visits of consumers from both regions, the Council and Korea Consumer Agency therefore signed an MOU which seeks to build joint co-operation in consumer dispute referral mechanism to safeguard consumer rights.

In accordance with the MOU, cross-border consumer disputes will be resolved through mediation, regulations regulating the procedures for handling case referral, the information needed, legislations to be adopted, and the confidentiality of personal information are also included for the objective of fairness, mutual respect and mutual benefits of both parties in the Memorandum.

After the signing of the MOU, Macao citizens will be entitled to file their complaints at the Council when they experience any consumer dispute with shops in Korea, the Council will refer the case details and relevant documents to the Korea Consumer Agency upon receipt of the consent of the complainant, and the Agency will urge the involved business to settle the dispute. Meanwhile, Korean tourists in need will also be able to get assistance in Macao from the Consumer Council.

Other areas of co-operation include exchange of information regarding investigation and research as well as staff training opportunities.

The Macao Consumer Council and Korea Consumer Agency believe that the consumer dispute referral mechanism not only helps to settle consumer disputes but also brings positive impact on tourism and retail industries in both places in the long run.

The MOU is signed by Wong Hong Neng, President of the Executive Committee of the Consumer Council, and the President of Korea Consumer Agency, Lee Hee-Sook.

The Korea Consumer Agency is a government organization established in 1987, aiming to promote the policies regarding consumer rights and interests in Korea.