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Gmarket headquarters. (Photo: Gmarket) |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Seoul, South Korea — Korea’s financial authorities have launched an emergency on-site inspection of Gmarket after a series of unauthorized payment incidents were reported by customers.
The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) conducted inspections on December 3 to examine the cause of the unauthorized charges and to verify Gmarket’s compensation process for affected users. An FSS official stated, “We have confirmed the company’s claim that the unauthorized transactions were carried out using account credentials stolen externally, not through hacking of internal systems.”
The official added that the inspection would continue throughout the week.
On November 29, Gmarket’s customer service center received over 60 reports of unauthorized payments. The cases involved illicit purchases of gift certificates made via SmilePay, Gmarket’s simple payment service, using credit cards registered by customers. Reported damages ranged from KRW 30,000 to KRW 200,000 per customer.
The FSS is also separately inspecting Coupang Pay, a subsidiary of Coupang, to determine whether any payment information may have been leaked in connection with the incident.
Gmarket announced that it would fully refund all affected customers. The company said it is providing individual guidance on reimbursement procedures and will actively support victims in filing reports with law enforcement agencies.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
