A telephone consultation service launched on December 22 for residents of Korea who do not speak Korean.
The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) began operating the service in 19 languages, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and the Seoul Global Center. The phone number is 043-889-5400. The KCA provides telephone consultation services from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
When a consumer who does not speak Korean makes a phone call to the center, an interpreter from the Justice Ministry will help with communication between a KCA consultant and the consumer. Through such triangle interpreting, the consumer can receive information about related laws and regulations, and how to take action regarding his complaint.
In the past, customers who did not speak Korean underwent difficulties when making complaints about consumer affairs due to the language barrier. They had to find a Korean speaker who could help them, otherwise they had to go through another organization to receive interpreting services, such as the call center at the Justice Ministry or another agency.
Chung Eunsun, a senior manager at the KCA, said, “The KCA mediates between consumers and sellers when problems occur. We also help consumers receive additional necessary steps for damage relief from the Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission, under agreement on both sides. Thanks to this service, non-Korean speaking customers can receive the same services as Korean speakers.”
“We receive thousands of phone calls from customers every day, but in the past non-Korean speakers had difficulty calling us due to communication difficulties. Since the launch of this service, however, we have dealt with telephone consultation cases from mainland Chinese customers and from other overseas customers who plan to visit Korea from abroad and who experienced some inconvenience from some Korean accommodation information websites,” Chung added.
Also, in early January next year the KCA plans to publish three leaflets for multicultural families and non-Koreans residing in Korea, in order to prevent consumer damages. These leaflets include a step-by-step guide for consumer complaints and how to receive damage relief, safety for children and e-commerce, and will be printed in nine languages.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photo: Korea Consumer Agency
arete@korea.kr
The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) began operating the service in 19 languages, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and the Seoul Global Center. The phone number is 043-889-5400. The KCA provides telephone consultation services from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
When a consumer who does not speak Korean makes a phone call to the center, an interpreter from the Justice Ministry will help with communication between a KCA consultant and the consumer. Through such triangle interpreting, the consumer can receive information about related laws and regulations, and how to take action regarding his complaint.
A KCA operator offers consultation services to a non-Korean speaking consumer.
In the past, customers who did not speak Korean underwent difficulties when making complaints about consumer affairs due to the language barrier. They had to find a Korean speaker who could help them, otherwise they had to go through another organization to receive interpreting services, such as the call center at the Justice Ministry or another agency.
Chung Eunsun, a senior manager at the KCA, said, “The KCA mediates between consumers and sellers when problems occur. We also help consumers receive additional necessary steps for damage relief from the Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission, under agreement on both sides. Thanks to this service, non-Korean speaking customers can receive the same services as Korean speakers.”
“We receive thousands of phone calls from customers every day, but in the past non-Korean speakers had difficulty calling us due to communication difficulties. Since the launch of this service, however, we have dealt with telephone consultation cases from mainland Chinese customers and from other overseas customers who plan to visit Korea from abroad and who experienced some inconvenience from some Korean accommodation information websites,” Chung added.
Also, in early January next year the KCA plans to publish three leaflets for multicultural families and non-Koreans residing in Korea, in order to prevent consumer damages. These leaflets include a step-by-step guide for consumer complaints and how to receive damage relief, safety for children and e-commerce, and will be printed in nine languages.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photo: Korea Consumer Agency
arete@korea.kr
