2021년 전자상거래법 개정안의 적용 범위에 대한 검토

19 years have passed since the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce, etc. (hereinafter referred to as the “E-Commerce Act”) was enacted in 2002. In the meantime, the proportion of e-commerce in our daily transactions has risen significantly, and the online market has been expanded in a completely different form from the past. The move to revise the E-Commerce Act to reflect this market situation is a timely response and is in line with the international trend. In this regard, the Korean Fair Trade Commission, a department in charge of the E-Commerce Act, announced a full amendment to the E-Commerce Act in March of this year and is preparing a revised amendment by listening to the opinions of academia and stakeholders in the market. Since multi-faceted analysis has already been carried out on this amendment, in this article, the object or the scope of the amendment bill was particularly examined among the related issues. Unlike the current E-Commerce Act, which focuses on mail-order retailers and e-commerce business operators, the amendment intends to reorganize the regulatory system centered on online businesses including online platform transactions. Through this, it aims to establish the status of the E-commerce Act as a general law regulating consumer protection in commerce through the internet. In order to achieve the purpose through the full revision of the E-Commerce Act, careful consideration is required on the definitions of terms, and the liabilities of each party in online transactions as well.