Why did South Korea fine Duo Information Co. for misleading advertising?

The Fair Trade Commission said Duo exaggerated the number of members in professional occupations and the number of members who graduated from prestigious universities. It also overstated the number of matchmaking managers and made a false exclusivity claim about financial filing disclosures.

How much was Duo Information Co. fined by the Fair Trade Commission?

The FTC imposed a fine of 345 million won, which is about $249,450. It also issued a corrective order against the company.

What exactly did Duo Information Co. claim in its advertisements?

The company claimed it had 5,135 members in professional occupations, 16,479 members from prestigious universities, and 230 matchmaking managers. The FTC said those figures were unsupported or overstated, and that the company used its own criteria to define some of the categories.

Fair trade watchdog fines matchmaking firm for exaggerating membership figures

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Summary

South Korea’s fair trade watchdog fined Duo Information Co. 345 million won and ordered corrective action on Wednesday for exaggerating member figures in advertisements. The company overstated the number of members with professional occupations, graduates from prestigious universities, and matchmaking managers, the Fair Trade Commission said. The FTC also said Duo falsely claimed it was the only matchmaking firm disclosing regulatory filings with the Financial Supervisory Service. The watchdog said it will keep monitoring misleading ads in the matchmaking industry.

Key Facts

The Fair Trade Commission imposed a 345 million-won fine on Duo Information Co. and issued a corrective order.
Duo claimed it had 5,135 members in professional occupations and 16,479 members who graduated from prestigious universities without providing evidence.
The company also advertised that it had 230 matchmaking managers, while the actual number was 188.
The FTC said the misleading advertisements were distributed through online news articles, the company website, blogs and outdoor advertisements.
The watchdog said another rival matchmaking firm was also disclosing regulatory filings with the Financial Supervisory Service.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 26, 2026 12:23 pm KST

Examples of advertisements released by Duo Information Co. / Courtesy of the Fair Trade Commission

Korea's fair trade watchdog on Wednesday imposed a fine and issued a corrective order against Duo Information Co., a major matchmaking firm, for exaggerating the number of its members with professional occupations and degrees from prestigious universities.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said it imposed a 345 million-won ($249,450) fine on the company for misleading advertisements distributed through online news articles, its website, blogs and outdoor advertisements, some of which remained in place until recently.

The watchdog said Duo claimed it had an industry-high 5,135 members in professional occupations and 16,479 members who graduated from prestigious universities without providing evidence.

The figures were also calculated based on the company's own criteria for defining professional occupations and prestigious universities.

Duo additionally claimed that it was the only matchmaking firm to disclose regulatory filings with the Financial Supervisory Service, although another rival was doing so as well.

The FTC pointed out that Duo also claimed that it had 230 matchmaking managers, although the actual number was 188 and the advertised figure included employees in other roles.

"In the matchmaking industry, customers find it difficult to know details about the services they will receive before actually signing up. Thus, it is critical for business operators to provide accurate information to customers based on objective evidence and facts in advertisements," the FTC said.

The watchdog vowed to continue its efforts to monitor misleading advertisements in the matchmaking industry to ensure accurate information is delivered to customers and help them make reasonable choices.

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