South Korea indicts lodging platforms for alleged abuse of bargaining power
( May 21, 2026, 07:53 GMT | Official Statement) -- MLex Summary: Yanolja and Yeogi Eottae, South Korea’s two dominant online lodging platforms, have been indicted for allegedly abusing their superior-bargaining position over affiliated motel and lodging operators by selling discount coupons and unilaterally extinguishing unused balances. Prosecutors also indicted Yeogi Eottae’s founder and former CEO, saying Yeogi Eottae caused about 35.9 billion won ($23.8 million) in losses to partner businesses, while Yanolja allegedly extinguished about 1.2 billion won in unused coupons. The case followed a complaint by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups after the Korea Fair Trade Commission imposed fines without making criminal referrals. Prosecutors said the case shows the need for effective criminal sanctions against platform abuses that harm small merchants and entrench market dominance.Statement is attached (in Korean)....
Prepare for tomorrow’s regulatory change, today
MLex identifies risk to business wherever it emerges, with specialist reporters across the globe providing exclusive news and deep-dive analysis on the proposals, probes, enforcement actions and rulings that matter to your organization and clients, now and in the longer term.
Know what others in the room don’t, with features including:
- Daily newsletters for Antitrust, M&A, Trade, Data Privacy & Security, Technology, AI and more
- Custom alerts on specific filters including geographies, industries, topics and companies to suit your practice needs
- Predictive analysis from expert journalists across North America, the UK and Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific
- Curated case files bringing together news, analysis and source documents in a single timeline
Experience MLex today with a 14-day free trial.