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Image = Fair Trade Commission |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Sangjin] The Fair Trade Commission imposed over 550 billion won in fines (including penalties) on companies last year, marking a 26% increase compared to the previous year.
Coupang received the largest fine among corporate groups, followed by Kakao and CJ.
According to a report by corporate data research institute CEO Score on the Fair Trade Commission’s sanctions from January 2023 to December 2024, the commission levied a total of 550.2 billion won in fines on companies last year. This represents a 26.5% (115.2 billion won) increase compared to the previous year's 435 billion won.
The number of sanctions issued by the commission last year stood at 124 cases, up from 111 in the previous year. Among the 308 entities sanctioned, 34 cases resulted in criminal referrals, an increase of six cases compared to the previous year's 28.
Of these criminal referrals, 26 involved corporations, seven targeted owners or executives, and one involved a trade association. Compared to the prior year, corporate referrals increased (from 19), while those for owners or executives decreased (from 8), and trade associations remained the same.
Among major corporate groups, Coupang faced the highest fines, with two of its affiliates (Coupang and CPLB) fined a total of 140.178 billion won. Coupang was fined 140.049 billion won, while CPLB was fined 1.29 billion won. CPLB is a subsidiary managing Coupang's private-label brands such as Gomgom, Tamsa, and Comet.
The Fair Trade Commission found that Coupang and CPLB manipulated the Coupang app's search results to prioritize their private-label products. Allegations were also raised that Coupang mobilized its employees to write fake customer reviews.
Kakao followed with fines amounting to 72.5 billion won. The penalties targeted Kakao Mobility (72.4 billion won), Kakao (980 million won), and SM Brand Marketing (2.5 million won). In October 2023, the commission imposed fines for Kakao Mobility’s abuse of its market dominance.
CJ ranked third among corporate groups, receiving 24.5 billion won in fines. The companies fined included CJ Freshway (16.7 billion won) and Freshone (7.8 billion won).
Alphabiz Reporter Kim SangJin(letyou@alphabiz.co.kr)
