Republic of Korea: Completed KCC fact-finding investigation into AliExpress requiring further communication with the relevant business operators to finalise corrective action and impose fines

On 30 October 2024, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) completed a fact-finding investigation into AliExpress for violations of the Telecommunications Business Act. The KCC found that AliExpress engaged in “false and exaggerated” notifications regarding membership benefits, misleading users into making payments through dark patterns. The investigation determined issues such as the misleading representation of free trial benefits and the practice of refunding annual membership fees only as coupons, which restricted user rights. The KCC plans to engage with business operators, including Alibaba Singapore E-commerce Private Limited and AliExpress E-commerce One, to finalise corrective orders and determine fines after due procedures.