{"id":2205172,"date":"2024-05-21T08:00:11","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T23:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2205172"},"modified":"2024-05-20T16:24:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T07:24:16","slug":"south-koreas-presidential-office-apologizes-for-overseas-direct-purchase-fiasco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/05\/south-koreas-presidential-office-apologizes-for-overseas-direct-purchase-fiasco\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea\u2019s presidential office apologizes for overseas direct purchase fiasco"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Korea\u2019s presidential office issued an apology on Monday for the confusion caused by the government\u2019s recently announced measures to regulate overseas direct purchases. The policy would have required a Korea Certification (KC) safety mark for 80 product categories. <\/span>Sung Tae-yoon<\/span><\/a>, the presidential chief of staff for policy, made the apology during a press briefing.<\/span><\/p>\n President Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly instructed officials to prevent similar occurrences in the future by strengthening policy reviews, gathering public opinion and communicating with the press. Sung stated that the president did not make the apology himself, as he was not informed during the policy decision process.<\/span><\/p>\n Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n The government\u2019s decision to regulate overseas direct purchases was likely prompted by recent reports of imported Chinese products containing <\/span>carcinogenic substances<\/span><\/a>. However, the move appears to have lacked consultations with the ruling party and inadequately considered public sentiment.<\/span><\/p>\n The presidential office\u2019s apology also reflects the Yoon administration\u2019s increased sensitivity to public opinion, especially in light of the People Power Party\u2019s setback in last month\u2019s parliamentary elections. As the administration faces growing public scrutiny, it will likely continue to be mindful of regaining public trust to implement its policy agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n