FTC to inspect live commerce operators' business practices
Naver headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province / Korea Times fileBy Kim Hyun-binThe country's antitrust agency will inspect the business practices of Naver, Kakao and other live commerce operators to check whether they treat their suppliers and consumers unfairly, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Monday.The agency plans to scrutinize the terms and conditions in the rapidly growing distribution sector, which includes live commerce and subscription services, officials said.Live commerce is attracting attention as a new distribution channel with low entry barriers that enables buyers and sellers to communicate in real time through video or text chat. But consumer complaints are also on the rise as the number of users increases and the FTC aims to look out for any unfair practices. Naver, Kakao, Coupang, Baedal Minjok and Grip, which are representative platform operators in the live commerce field, are expected to be included in the inspection. The FTC plans to focus on whether brokerage operators unfairly pass their burden on to consumers, or excessively limit the copyright of sell
