South Korea fines Coupang $220 million for abusing dominance in food delivery market

South Korea’s competition regulator has fined e-commerce firm Coupang 300.8 billion won, or about $220.59 million, for abusing its dominant position in the food delivery market. It said the company’s conduct restricted competition in delivery apps and made it harder for merchants and rival platforms to operate independently.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission said Coupang required merchants to match favourable terms they offered on competing platforms and penalised those who did not comply. The regulator said this limited merchants’ ability to set their own prices and other trading conditions, while also hindering rivals’ business activities.