①To the extent necessary for the enforcement of this Act, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry may have the relevant officials enter the business office or other office of a licensed installment seller, comprehensive credit purchase intermediary, individual credit purchase intermediary, designated credit bureau, person that has obtained the license referred to in Article 35-3-61, designated entrusted institution, a business that has a contract for handling credit card numbers, or certified installment sales association, and inspect its books and documents and other articles.

②In a case as prescribed in paragraph (2), paragraph (4), or paragraph (6) of the preceding Article, if the Prime Minister finds it to be particularly necessary in order to protect the interests of users, purchasers, service recipients, or recipients of designated services, the minister, within the scope that it is necessary, may have the relevant officials enter the business office or office of a licensed installment seller, comprehensive credit purchase intermediary, individual credit purchase intermediary, or person that has obtained the license referred to in Article 35-3-61, and inspect its books and documents and other articles.

③To the extent necessary for the enforcement of this Act, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry may have the relevant officials enter the business office or office of a business that handles credit card numbers or an entrusted business that handles credit card numbers and inspect its books and documents and other articles (but may only have the relevant officials inspect these in connection with the extent of the proper management of credit card numbers).

④If the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry finds it to be particularly necessary in order to enforce this Act, the minister, within the scope that it is necessary, may have the relevant officials enter the business office or office of a person that has been entrusted by a comprehensive credit purchase intermediary with services linked to the intermediation of comprehensive credit purchases and inspect its books and documents and other articles (but may only have the relevant officials inspect these in connection with the services linked to the intermediation of comprehensive credit purchases with which the person has been entrusted).

⑤If the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry finds it to be particularly necessary in order to enforce this Act, the minister, within the scope that it is necessary, may have the relevant officials enter the business office or office of a closely related person and inspect its books and documents and other articles (but may only have the relevant officials inspect these in connection with the extent of an individual credit purchase intermediary's compliance with the provisions of Article 35-3-5 and the main clause of Article 35-3-7).

⑥If the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry finds it to be particularly necessary in order to ensure the proper management of specified credit information services, the minister, within the scope that it is necessary, may have the relevant officials enter the business office or office of a participating comprehensive credit purchase intermediary, participating individual credit purchase intermediary, or any other person that uses a designated credit bureau, or of a person that has been entrusted as under the paragraphs of Article 35-3-42, and inspect its books and documents and other articles (but may only have the relevant officials inspect these in connection with the business activities or assets of the designated credit bureau).

⑦An official that conducts an on-site inspection pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraphs must carry identification and present it to the relevant parties.

⑧The authority to conduct an on-site inspection under the provisions of paragraphs (1) through (6) must not be construed as being accorded for the purpose of a criminal investigation.

⑨Before seeking to conduct an on-site inspection under paragraph (2), the Prime Minister must consult with the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

If the Prime Minister finds it to be necessary in order to protect the interests of users, purchasers, service recipients, or recipients of designated services, the minister may request the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry to provide materials or explanations or to otherwise provide the necessary cooperation.

①Before seeking to reach a disposition under Article 33-2, paragraph (1), Article 35-2-11, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 35-2-12, paragraph (2)), Article 35-3-26, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 35-3-27, paragraph (2)), or Article 35-17-5, paragraph (1), a public hearing of opinions must be held, with the person that could become subject to the disposition having been notified of this a reasonable amount of time in advance.

②The date, place, and content of the situation under review must be indicated in the advance notice referred to in the preceding paragraph.

③At the time of a hearing of opinions as referred to in paragraph (1), the person that could become subject to the disposition and other interested parties must be accorded the opportunity to present evidence and state an opinion with respect to the situation under review.

①Notwithstanding the applicable category of proceeding for hearing statements of opinion under Article 13, paragraph (1) of the Administrative Procedure Act (Act No. 88 of 1993), if the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry seeks to issue an order under the provisions of Article 20, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 35-3-62); Article 23, paragraph (2) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 35-3-62); Article 34-2, paragraph (2); Article 35-2-14, paragraph (2); Article 35-3-32, paragraph (2); Article 35-3-54, paragraph (1); or Article 35-14, paragraph (2), the minister must conduct the proceedings as a hearing.

②Proceedings on the date of the hearing on a disposition under Article 20, paragraph (1) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 35-3-62); Article 23, paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 35-3-62); Article 34-2, paragraph (1) or paragraph (2); Article 35-2-14, paragraph (1) or paragraph (2); Article 35-3-32, paragraph (1) or paragraph (2); Article 35-3-54, paragraph (1); Article 35-14; Article 35-17-11, paragraph (1) or paragraph (2), or Article 35-24, paragraph (2) must be open to the public.

①An administrative determination on a request for review of a disposition under the provisions of this Act or an order based on this Act, or of inaction in relation to such a disposition, must be reached, except where the request for review is dismissed pursuant to the provisions of Article 24 of the Administrative Complaint Review Act (Act No. 68 of 2014), after a public hearing of opinions has been held by the review officer prescribed in Article 11, paragraph (2) of that Act, with the requestor for review having been notified of this a reasonable amount of time in advance.

②The provisions of Article 42, paragraph (3) apply mutatis mutandis to the hearing of opinions referred to in the preceding paragraph. In this case, the phrase "the person that could become subject to the disposition" in Article 42, paragraph (3) is deemed to be replaced with "the requestor for review".

③With regard to the request for review prescribed in paragraph (1), the provisions of Article 31 of the Administrative Complaint Review Act do not apply, and the provisions of Article 31, paragraphs (2) through (5) of that Act apply mutatis mutandis to the hearing of opinions referred to in paragraph (1).

When an order is enacted, amended or repealed based on the provisions of this Act, transitional measures (including transitional measures for penal provisions) may be provided for therein, within the scope determined to be reasonably necessary in conjunction with its enactment, amendment or repeal.

In this Act, the competent ministers are as follows:

Part of the administrative functions prescribed in this Act which are under the authority of the competent minister or the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry may be undertaken by a prefectural governor, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

①The competent minister or the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry may have the head of a local branch office undertake a matter that comes under the purview of the authority accorded to the minister pursuant to this Act, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order.

②The Prime Minister delegates authority accorded to it pursuant to this Act (excluding the authority specified by Cabinet Order) to the Director-General of the Consumer Affairs Agency.