‘납품업체 갑질’ 현장조사 거부한 쿠팡…공정위, 사상 초유의 철수

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) in South Korea sought to investigate major distribution companies violating the Large-Scale Distribution Act, but Coupang refused to cooperate and withdrew from the investigation. This marked the first time in history that an FTC investigation was halted by a company's refusal. Upon reviewing industry and FTC statements, it was found that the investigation commenced on 19th and was set to continue until 28th, but Coupang failed to respond and withdrew on 24th.

While there were cases where companies refused to submit data or obstructed site visits during the investigation, it was unprecedented for a company to entirely reject the investigation. The FTC believed Coupang argued that the company should bear the cost of the 'personalized coupon' feature, which automatically generates coupons for specific products if their price is higher than competitors like Naver, thus lowering the actual purchase price to minimum levels.

Coupang argued that the FTC had not followed proper procedures for initiating investigations, citing Section 8 of the Administrative Procedure Act, which allows for skipping notifications when achieving investigation goals is impossible due to evidence withholding. The FTC argued that this clause allows for investigations to proceed without prior notification when there's a concern about evidence being hidden or testimonies being coerced.

FTC sources said, "We have previously conducted investigations without prior notice when we found concerns about evidence being hidden or testimonies being coerced, and this is the first time a company has refused to cooperate." The investigation's progress and FTC's response to Coupang's refusal will be closely monitored.