[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Min-young and Kim Young-taek] Recently, the police cleared the online business media outlet Alphabiz of defamation and obstruction of business charges filed by Coupang, according to a notification of non-indictment.

The charges stemmed from an exclusive report by Alphabiz in March, alleging that the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) was preparing to impose a KRW 200 billion fine on Coupang for algorithm manipulation. Alphabiz followed up with another report claiming that Coupang had paid a large domestic law firm around KRW 20 billion in success fees to avoid having Chairman Kim Bum-suk designated as the company's head under Korean law.

 

Coupang subsequently filed a complaint with the Seoul Gwangjin Police Station on April 4, accusing Alphabiz of defamation and business interference. However, police determined there was insufficient evidence to pursue the charges.

Following Alphabiz's reports, the KFTC did identify issues related to Coupang's algorithm manipulation of its private label products. In June, Coupang's subsidiary CPLB was fined KRW 162.8 billion for violating fair trade laws and was also referred for prosecution.

Coupang has since filed an administrative lawsuit against the KFTC's decision and requested a suspension of the corrective order and the fine's enforcement.

 

 

 

[ⓒ 알파경제. 무단전재-재배포 금지]