Republic of Korea: Fair Trade Commission opened investigation into eight online advertising agencies over alleged deceptive advertising practices

On 21 November 2025, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) opened investigations into eight online advertising agencies following the Online Advertising Agency Illegal Conduct Response Task Force (TF)’s third-quarter investigation request review. The TF selected eight agencies based on frequent reports received by the Online Advertising Agency Scam Report Centre during the third quarter of 2025. The FTC stated that the potential illegal practices it was investigating include making false guarantees, impersonating public institutions to obtain contracts, refusals to honour certain promises and issue refunds for non-delivery, and bulk charging advertising fees after impersonating staff responsible for keyword registration. It also stated that two of the eight agencies had the same representative and address.