Antitrust - Coupang - Obstruction of large retail investigation (South Korea)

Coupang and the Korea Fair Trade Commission are locked in a dispute over the regulator's onsite inspection powers. The dispute began when Coupang halted an August 2026 inspection into allegations that it passed the cost of price-matching discounts on to suppliers, arguing that it hadn't received the required advance notice. The standoff has since spread to the courts, where Coupang is seeking to annul the inspection and suspend the investigation, and to administrative proceedings, in which the KFTC is pursuing a fine for investigation obstruction and considering changes to its investigation rules.

To add details to this Case File regarding legal or economic representatives, please contact editors@mlex.com.

Timeline

Parties

Get the inside track, with MLex

With a global network of expert journalists digging deep into the areas of risk that matter to your business and clients—and the highest standards of impartiality—you can have complete trust in MLex to keep you ahead of the regulatory curve.


  • 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 specialists 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

TRY MLEX FREE FOR 14 DAYS

View the parties now

Already a subscriber? Click here to login