Kyobo Life, Seoul City Gas Win Presidential Award for Consumer-Centered Management

Kyobo Life Insurance and Seoul City Gas have been selected for the Presidential Award for Consumer-Centered Management (CCM), the highest honor in the certification program. An additional 49 companies, including Lotte Tour Development and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), newly obtained CCM certification.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and the Korea Consumer Agency held the "2025 CCM Certification and Outstanding Company Award Ceremony" at L Tower in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday, honoring companies that contributed to advancing consumer rights. The CCM certification is a system where the FTC evaluates and certifies whether all corporate activities are conducted from a consumer perspective. Certified companies receive benefits including additional points in fair trade agreement compliance evaluations and reduced penalties in FTC case proceedings.

At the ceremony, government awards and FTC chairman commendations were presented to 11 companies and two individuals who contributed to spreading consumer-centered management practices. Kyobo Life Insurance and Seoul City Gas received the Presidential Award, the highest honor.

Kyobo Life was recognized for introducing digital ARS services for elderly and disabled customers to improve accessibility for financially vulnerable groups and strengthening its system to prevent incomplete sales. Seoul City Gas was credited for enhancing customer convenience by establishing a non-face-to-face service system, including self-meter reading and real-time safety information through its mobile app.

The Prime Minister's Award went to Coreana Cosmetics for ensuring consumer safety through preemptive quality control, and to HY (formerly Korea Yakult) for social contribution activities including the "Helping Hands of Love" campaign.

A total of 49 companies obtained CCM certification through this year's review, comprising 38 new certifications and 11 recertifications. This brings the total number of CCM-certified companies to 272, including 129 large enterprises, 66 small and medium-sized enterprises, and 77 public institutions.

The FTC also unveiled plans to reform the CCM system in response to the rapidly changing digital environment. "In the era of AI transformation, new types of consumer deception are spreading," FTC Vice Chairman Nam Dong-il said. "We will incorporate 'consumer-friendly AI ethics' practices as a key element in future CCM evaluation criteria."

Specifically, the review guidelines will include whether companies ensure consumers clearly recognize when they are interacting with AI, and whether safeguards are in place to prevent algorithmic discrimination.

Institutional incentives will also be strengthened. To reduce the burden on companies and enhance effectiveness, the FTC extended the CCM certification validity period from two years to three years and simplified complex evaluation indicators. The commission also plans to expand a shared growth mentoring program where large companies share their expertise with SMEs to spread consumer-centered management culture throughout supply chains.

"As economic uncertainty grows, the strongest asset supporting a company is consumer trust," Vice Chairman Nam said. "I urge certified companies to practice customer-first values and lead market trust."