Photo courtesy of the Fair Trade Commission

 

 

[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] The government of the Republic of Korea has launched an extensive investigation into school uniform manufacturers as it moves to stabilize the persistently high prices of uniforms ahead of the March new school term.

On the 26th, Jo Byung-ki, Chair of the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), announced at a “Special Management Task Force Meeting on Living Costs” held via video conference at the Seoul Government Complex that the agency has “initiated a rapid investigation of four major school uniform manufacturers and more than 40 nationwide dealers.”

The FTC plans to hold a subcommittee meeting on March 6 to take stern action against 27 companies suspected of colluding in advance during the 2023 school uniform bidding process in the Gwangju region, including pre-arranging winners and accomplices.

This move follows a directive from President Lee Jae-myung, who at a recent senior secretaries’ meeting referred to expensive school uniforms as an “economic burden breaker” and called for substantive measures to address the issue.

In parallel, the Ministry of Education will conduct a comprehensive nationwide survey of school uniform expenditures from February 27 to March 16, targeting approximately 5,700 middle and high schools.

By conducting both the nationwide expenditure review and the FTC’s anti-collusion investigation, the government intends to curb unfair practices in the school uniform market and materially reduce the financial burden on parents.

 

 

 

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