(1) A Fair Trade Dispute Mediation Council (hereinafter referred to as the "Council") shall be established under the Mediation Agency to mediate disputes about suspected violations of Article 45(1).
(2) The Council shall be composed of up to nine members, including one chairperson, who shall be full-time. <Amended on Aug. 8, 2023>
(3) The chairperson of the Council shall be commissioned by the chairperson of the Fair Trade Commission upon the recommendation of the president of the Mediation Agency, from among members of the Council. <Amended on Aug. 8, 2023>
(4) Members of the Council shall be appointed or commissioned by the chairperson of the Fair Trade Commission upon the recommendation of the chairperson of the Mediation Agency, from among the following persons who have experience or expertise in monopoly regulation, fair trade, or consumerism; in such cases, at least one of the following persons shall be included in the members: <Amended on Aug. 8, 2023>
1. A person who has served as a public official meeting the requirements prescribed by Presidential Decree;
2. A person who has served as a judge, prosecutor, or attorney-at-law for at least the period prescribed by Presidential Decree;
3. A person with a major in law, economics, business administration, or consumerism, who has served for at least the period prescribed by Presidential Decree at a university or publicly authorized research institute as an associate professor or higher or in an equivalent position;
4. A person who has a career of at least the period prescribed by Presidential Decree in business management, consumer protection activities, and dispute mediation.
(5) Each member of the Council shall hold office for a term of three years.
(6) Where there is a vacancy in the office of a member of the Council, a member to fill the vacancy shall be commissioned pursuant to paragraph (4), and such member shall serve for the remainder of his or her predecessor's term.
(7) The chairperson of the Fair Trade Commission may remove or dismiss a Council member from office where he or she is found to have committed any misconduct in relation to his or her duties or he or she is deemed unfit to serve as a member on the grounds of neglect of duty, loss of dignity, etc.
(8) The chairperson of the Council shall not engage in any for-profit business affairs other than his or her duties. <Added on Feb. 6, 2024>
(9) Article 37(3) of the Act on the Management of Public Institutions shall apply mutatis mutandis to the scope of for-profit business affairs under paragraph (8). <Added on Feb. 6, 2024>
(10) The chairperson of the Council may concurrently conduct non-profit business affairs subject to examination by the Chairperson of the Fair Trade Commission as to whether it falls under the for-profit business affairs under paragraph (9). <Added on Feb. 6, 2024>