Republic of Korea: Fair Trade Commission issues corrective order and imposed a KRW 6 million fine on Meta Platforms for violating Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce

On 2 May 2025, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) announced sanctions against Meta Platforms for violating the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce as an online platform intermediary (electronic bulletin board service provider) through its operation of Instagram and Facebook. The FTC found that Meta failed to fulfil legally required duties to protect consumers involved in commerce conducted via posts on its platforms, such as informing sellers of their obligations, providing a dispute resolution mechanism, verifying seller identity, and including these duties in user terms. Meta was fined KRW 6 million and is required to comply with corrective measures. The FTC noted that the fine is the first formal enforcement action taken under the Act’s 2016 provision applying consumer protection obligations to online platform intermediaries.