On the 4th, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises announced that it held a meeting titled "Meeting to communicate for the rationalization of civil liabilities in economic crimes" at its headquarters in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.
The meeting was arranged to gather opinions from the small and medium-sized enterprise sector after the Democratic Party of Korea launched the "Task Force for the Rationalization of Civil Liabilities in Economic Crimes" on the 2nd. The meeting was attended by Kwon Chil-seung, Director General of the Task Force, and seven representatives from the small and medium-sized enterprise community, including Oh Ki-woong, executive vice president of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises, and chairpersons of various small and medium-sized enterprise cooperatives.
During the meeting, representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises conveyed the challenges they face. Lee Jae-gwang, chairman of the Korea Electric Energy Industry Cooperative, noted, "Recent amendments to the Commercial Act have expanded the duty of loyalty for directors from the 'company' to 'shareholders,' increasing concerns over the application of breach of trust, and easing breach of trust regulations is necessary."
Song Yu-kyung, chairperson of the Korea Supermarket Cooperative Federation, stated, "When installing outdoor billboards, a fine of 5 million won is imposed if the report or modification report is not filed," and added, "Small business owners and self-employed individuals face difficulties with varying guidelines provided by local governments for online and offline registration, so it is preferable to convert fines for simple administrative errors to penalties."
Ha Bong-jin, general manager of the Korea Waste Recycling Cooperative, emphasized, "Currently, criminal charges are being filed even for minor violations where waste disposal operators do not attach the waste collection and transportation certificate to the vehicle," and added, "For simple violations, there needs to be a need to impose only fines instead of criminal penalties."
In addition, they proposed improvements to the penalty system for non-registration of environmental liability insurance, easing penalties for violations of the Food Sanitation Act, and converting penalties regarding referral fees for accident replacements into fines, among eight other points.