FTC approves Gmarket-AliExpress joint venture

Home > Business > Industry

FTC approves Gmarket-AliExpress joint venture

Published: 18 Sep. 2025, 16:36 Updated: 18 Sep. 2025, 18:52

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

E-commerce platforms GMarket and AliExpress [GMARKET, ALIBABA]

Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has approved the establishment of a joint venture between Gmarket and AliExpress, on the condition that the two companies do not share domestic consumer data in the online cross-border shopping market.

The FTC said Thursday it would permit the formation of Grand Opus Holding, a joint venture between Shinsegae Group and Alibaba Group that would oversee both Gmarket and AliExpress Korea.

Under the conditional approval, the two companies must operate independently, and sensitive user data such as names, IDs, emails, phone numbers and search histories must be technically separated. However, data sharing is permitted in markets outside cross-border e-commerce, provided users give explicit consent.

The FTC flagged potential antitrust concerns, noting that the joint venture would solidify the companies’ combined market share at 41 percent, securing the top position in the online cross-border shopping sector. Gmarket holds a database of 50 million users from over two decades of operations, while AliExpress has amassed global shopping and rating data.

The commission said the merger could accelerate market concentration, potentially creating a self-reinforcing loop of personalized ads and improved services that attract more users and sellers — raising entry barriers for competitors.

The data separation condition will remain in effect for three years, with the possibility of extension. Gmarket and AliExpress must establish a compliance committee that includes IT experts and regularly report their progress to the FTC.

“This marks the first in-depth review of data-related antitrust issues in a digital market merger,” said Lee Byung-geon, head of the mergers and acquisitions review bureau at the FTC. “This decision will help domestic sellers expand globally through the AliExpress platform, and data will continue to be a key factor in future merger reviews.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]