Key Takeaways
- • South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) imposed a 300.9 billion won ($220.59 million) fine on Coupang for abusing its dominant position in the food delivery market, according to Reuters.
- • The FTC found Coupang required restaurants to match six conditions, including menu prices, minimum order amounts, discounts and delivery charges, or risk losing a special designation enabling discounts and free delivery for paid members.
- • Restaurant compliance with the requirements rose to nearly 94% in October 2025 from about 13% in July 2023, the regulator said.
- • The FTC separately fined Woowa Brothers, operator of rival app Baemin, 331.1 billion won for similar practices.
- • Coupang plans to challenge the decision through legal proceedings, calling the penalty excessive and more than 600 times a 2020 fine in a comparable case.
Summary
South Korea's antitrust regulator, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC), said on Monday it was fining e-commerce firm Coupang 300.9 billion won ($220.59 million) for abusing its dominant position in the food delivery market, according to Reuters. The regulator said Coupang required merchants to match favourable terms offered on rival platforms and penalised restaurants that failed to comply, restricting competition in the delivery app sector.
According to the FTC, Coupang required restaurants to match six conditions: menu prices, minimum order amounts, discounts and delivery charges, among others. Restaurants that did not comply risked losing a special designation that allowed them to offer discounts and free delivery to Coupang's paid-membership customers. The regulator said the share of restaurants meeting the requirements rose to nearly 94% in October 2025 from about 13% in July 2023.
The FTC also fined Woowa Brothers, operator of rival delivery app Baemin, 331.1 billion won for similar practices. Woowa Brothers said it had explained to the FTC that its conduct was not unlawful, expressed regret that its arguments were not fully accepted, and said it would closely review the decision.
Coupang said the penalty was excessive and more than 600 times the fine imposed in a comparable 2020 case involving another food delivery app. It said the FTC included revenue unrelated to the alleged conduct when calculating the fine, undermining its right of defence, and that it would challenge the decision through legal proceedings.
The ruling adds to tensions between the US-listed company and South Korean authorities, who fined Coupang 624 billion won in June over a 2025 data breach affecting more than 33 million customers. Coupang disputes the government's findings and handling of that case, while Republican US lawmakers have accused Seoul of discriminating against an American company, a claim South Korean officials reject. Coupang has also maintained an extensive Washington lobbying operation; US Federal Election Commission records show its political action committee, COUPAC, gave about $379,000 to congressional candidates and political committees from the start of 2025 through September 2026, with recent records suggesting a growing emphasis on Democratic ties while COUPAC continued to support Republicans.
According to the FTC, Coupang required restaurants to match six conditions: menu prices, minimum order amounts, discounts and delivery charges, among others. Restaurants that did not comply risked losing a special designation that allowed them to offer discounts and free delivery to Coupang's paid-membership customers. The regulator said the share of restaurants meeting the requirements rose to nearly 94% in October 2025 from about 13% in July 2023.
The FTC also fined Woowa Brothers, operator of rival delivery app Baemin, 331.1 billion won for similar practices. Woowa Brothers said it had explained to the FTC that its conduct was not unlawful, expressed regret that its arguments were not fully accepted, and said it would closely review the decision.
Coupang said the penalty was excessive and more than 600 times the fine imposed in a comparable 2020 case involving another food delivery app. It said the FTC included revenue unrelated to the alleged conduct when calculating the fine, undermining its right of defence, and that it would challenge the decision through legal proceedings.
The ruling adds to tensions between the US-listed company and South Korean authorities, who fined Coupang 624 billion won in June over a 2025 data breach affecting more than 33 million customers. Coupang disputes the government's findings and handling of that case, while Republican US lawmakers have accused Seoul of discriminating against an American company, a claim South Korean officials reject. Coupang has also maintained an extensive Washington lobbying operation; US Federal Election Commission records show its political action committee, COUPAC, gave about $379,000 to congressional candidates and political committees from the start of 2025 through September 2026, with recent records suggesting a growing emphasis on Democratic ties while COUPAC continued to support Republicans.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.