S. Korean regulator launches inspection into China’s AliExpress over soaring complaints

South Korea's antitrust regulator has launched an on-site inspection into China's AliExpress on suspicions of the major retail platform's violation of consumer protection duties, officials said Wednesday. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) last week sent inspectors to the office of AliKorea in Seoul, which operates Alibaba Group's shopping platform in South Korea, and secured documents on its responses to consumer complaints and other materials, according to the government and industry officials. The inspection was part of the regulator's investigation into whether the company has fulfilled due responsibilities to protect consumers in accordance with the country's e-commerce law and relevant regulations. The move came as the number of complaints filed against AliExpress and submitted to the Consumers Union of Korea rose sharply to 465 cases last year from the previous year's 93. The complaints were on misdeliveries, issues surrounding order cancellations and the lack of information on deliveries, among othe r things. The number of AliExpress users in South Korea more than doubled to 7.18 million as of February from 3.36 million in 2022, according to government data. The FTC refused to confirm if any probe is going on into the Chinese platform, simply vowing "a stern response to any violations." Source: Yonhap News Agency