Republic of Korea: Fair Trade Commission investigation into Shinsegae-Alibaba joint venture

Progress

Current status

in force

18 Sep 2025 in force

25 Jan 2025 under deliberation

Scope

Implementers

Republic of Korea

Policy Area

Competition

Policy Instrument

Merger control regulation

Regulated Economic Activity

platform intermediary: e-commerce

Government Branch

executive

Government Body

competition authority

Implementation Level

national

Timeline of events

18 Sep 2025

in force

Fair Trade Commission conditionally approved Shinsegae–Alibaba joint venture requiring Gmarket and AliExpress Korea to block consumer data sharing due to competition concerns

On 18 September 2025, the Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) issued a ruling regarding the merger between Shinsegae and Alibaba Group, culminating in the formation of the Gmarket-AliExpress joint venture. The deal involves Apollo Korea, a Shinsegae…

Source

Event type investigation

Action type ruling

Government branch executive

Government body competition authority

25 Jan 2025

under deliberation

Korean Fair Trade Commission announced investigation into Shinsegae–Alibaba joint venture

On 25 January 2025, the Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) announced an investigation into a Shinsegae-Alibaba joint venture over competition concerns. The deal involves Apollo Korea, a Shinsegae affiliate, acquiring a 50% stake in Grand Ophus Hold…