The Korea Fair Trade Commission has launched a large-scale on-site probe into Coupang, according to information confirmed on the 13th.
That day, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC)'s Bureau of Business Group Surveillance, Market Surveillance Bureau, and Bureau of Corporate Transaction and Merger Review dispatched Researchers to Coupang's headquarters in Songpa District, Seoul. Typically, only one bureau is mobilized when the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) conducts an on-site investigation into specific corporations, but this time three bureaus were deployed simultaneously.
The Bureau of Business Group Surveillance is said to be securing relevant materials ahead of designating Coupang's "same person" (controlling shareholder) in May. The "same person" is a regulatory reference point used when determining matters such as the hiring of relatives and the scope of affiliates, and Coupang's current "same person" is "Coupang Corp."
In connection with this, Ju Biung-ghi, chair of the Korea Fair Trade Commission, appeared on the YouTube channel "Kim Ou-joon's Humility Is Hard News Factory" the previous day and said, "This time, we plan to closely examine whether Kim Beom-suk, chair of Coupang Inc, and the Kim family are participating in management." If this investigation concludes that the Kim family is participating in company management, Coupang's "same person" is likely to change from "Coupang Corp." to "Chair Kim."
The Market Surveillance Bureau and the Bureau of Corporate Transaction and Merger Review are reportedly examining whether Coupang unfairly used data from third-party sellers in the process of planning its private-label products. The aim is to determine whether Coupang used data obtained through its platform business solely for its own brand.