South Korea is expanding the disclosure of pricing information following a string of cases in which consumers were lured with free photo shoots and then pressured to pay extra for original files, albums and frames.
The Korea Consumer Agency and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) held a meeting with industry associations in the photo development and photography sector, recommending that businesses disclose pricing information for additional costs arising during photo shoots in advance, the agencies said Friday.
The meeting was prompted by a series of cases in which consumers were lured with offers such as free photo shoot events, only to be charged high additional fees for original photo files, frame and album production, and costumes.
According to the Consumer Agency, a total of 1,670 damage relief applications related to photo shoots were filed from 2022 through April this year. Of these, 262 cases, or 15.7% of the total, involved free photo shoot sales tactics.
By type of damage among all relief applications, cases related to contract cancellation were most common at 72.5% (190 cases), followed by breach of contract at 11.1% and unfair practices at 6.9%.
Among the 250 cases for which contract amounts were confirmed, those under 100,000 won were most common at 40%, but high-value contracts of 1 million won or more accounted for 39.2%. The average contract amount was approximately 787,000 won.
Representative cases included demands for additional payment, with consumers told that original photo files would only be provided after purchasing a frame, or being charged more than 1 million won in original file costs that had not been disclosed beforehand following the shoot.
The Consumer Agency and the FTC recommended that businesses post detailed descriptions and prices of basic services and optional items at their premises and on their websites, and inform consumers in detail before the shoot about whether additional costs would arise, such as fees for providing original files or for album and frame production. They also asked businesses to comply with obligations under the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising prohibiting unfair labeling and advertising, and to specify damage compensation standards.
Industry officials who attended the meeting said they would post detailed price lists and strengthen advance notices to prevent consumer harm and disputes.
The FTC and the Consumer Agency plan to continue on-site communication with the photography industry and work to establish a safe consumption environment and fair trade practices in the photography sector. They also plan to continuously monitor consumer deception and pursue strict law enforcement, including sanctioning businesses that violate the law.
