Chung Kwang-mo, chairwoman of the Consumers Union of Korea, died in Seoul on Wednesday after a life devoted to improving consumer rights. She was 84.

Chung, born in 1929 in Seoul, started her career at the Pyeonghwa Daily as a journalist in 1951 after graduating from Ewha Womans University and later worked at the Seoul Daily and Hankook Ilbo.

She then shifted her career to consumer rights activism, creating the Consumers Union of Korea, the nation’s first private organization for consumer rights and protection, in 1970 and helped launch Consumer Protection Day on Dec. 3, 1996.

Chung also led public campaigns for anti-smoking and AIDS prevention.

By Seo Jee-yeon  (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)