KFTC Launches First Large-Scale Survey in Four Years Targeting Delivery, Accommodation, and Open Market Platforms

In-depth Review of Platform Commission Fees, Advertising Costs, and Data Practices
Surveys and Written Investigations Targeting Merchant Partners

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has launched a large-scale, comprehensive survey — the first in four years — targeting the country’s three major everyday consumer platforms: food delivery, accommodation, and open market services. The initiative aims to uncover structural issues surrounding commission fees and advertising costs, with the intention of fundamentally improving unfair trade practices in the platform market moving forward.

On August 13, the KFTC announced that it would commence a full-fledged investigation starting with a research project titled “Survey on Current Transactions and Unfair Transaction Practices between Major Platforms and Merchant Partners.” The research project will run for three months, through November 12. The probe focuses on three core sectors that have seen a high concentration of complaints — food delivery, open market, and accommodation services. To ensure the effectiveness of the survey, the KFTC will simultaneously conduct questionnaires targeted at merchant partners and written surveys for platform operators.

This marks the first nationwide fact-finding investigation into the platform market since late 2022, nearly four years ago. Although South Korea’s online platform sector has undergone explosive growth during this period, persistent disputes have arisen concerning excessive commissions and unfair practices between platform operators and merchant partners. The number of disputes related to online platforms submitted to the Fair Trade Dispute Mediation Council surged from just 103 cases in 2021 to 445 cases last year (2025), representing an increase of about 330% (a 3.3-fold jump) over four years. Observers note that the growing depth of conflict and damages among the self-employed and small business owners has kept pace with the rise in platform-based transactions.

The KFTC stated, “We will re-examine the market environment, which has changed since the 2022 survey, and objectively collect data on the actual cost burdens and damages experienced by merchant partners in the field. This will serve as foundational data for policy development regarding platform markets in the future.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.