Republic of Korea: Fair Trade Commission opened consultation on amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Consumer Protection in E-Commerce (Law No. 21312) including user identification requirement

On 11 March 2026, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) opened a public consultation on proposed amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce (Law No. 21312) until 20 April 2026. The amendments follow the Act promulgated on 20 January 2026. The amendments apply to online marketplace intermediaries that facilitate consumer-to-consumer transactions, such as second-hand goods platforms. Under the proposed Article 25-3, intermediaries would be required to verify 2 identity data points from individual sellers, namely phone number and email address, reduced from the current 5 items which also included name, date of birth, and address. Where identity has already been verified through a government-certified identity verification body under Article 23-3(1) of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, verification of phone number alone would suffice. The Decree would also establish business suspension penalties for violations of the identity verification obligation under Article 20-4 of the Act, set at 3 months for a first violation, 6 months for a second violation, and 12 months for a third violation. The Decree would enter into force on 21 July 2026.