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Coupang, 6 other shopping platforms ordered to rewrite terms of service over liability-dodging

Published: 27 Apr. 2026, 15:54 Updated: 27 Apr. 2026, 21:00

Coupang trucks are lined up on a street [JOONGANG ILBO]

SEJONG — Seven of Korea's biggest online shopping platforms — including Coupang and Naver — have been ordered to rewrite terms of service that let them dodge liability when users' personal data is leaked.

The Fair Trade Commission announced on Monday that it had reviewed the terms of service of the seven open-market operators and corrected a total of 11 types of unfair clauses. The companies covered are Coupang, Naver, Kurly, SSG.com, Gmarket, 11Street and Nol Universe.

The FTC had planned to scrutinize major platform operators' terms following Coupang's personal data breach late last year.

The commission identified unfair clauses across four areas: improper liability exemptions and damage limitations, arbitrary exercise of operational authority, disadvantages related to settlement and refunds and other unfair provisions. By operator, Coupang had the most with eight clauses, followed by Kurly with seven, Naver, SSG.com, Gmarket and 11Street with four each and Nol Universe with three.

Six of the seven operators — all except SSG.com — had clauses that improperly exempted or shifted liability in connection with personal data breaches. Coupang, for instance, had explicitly stated in its terms that "the company is not responsible for damages arising from unauthorized access by third parties."

The FTC determined that such clauses blanket-exempted operators from liability regardless of fault and shifted losses onto users — in violation of personal data protection law, which requires operators to bear liability unless they can prove the absence of intent or negligence.

Clauses exempting platforms from liability as intermediaries will also be corrected. Nol Universe had stipulated in its terms that it does not guarantee the accuracy of service information and bears no responsibility for resulting damages — language the FTC said "transfers to users the responsibility for transaction safety and service outcomes."

Terms directly affecting users' property rights are also being revised. Coupang had been canceling even paid Coupay Money balances upon membership withdrawal, which the FTC characterized as "extinguishing property value acquired for consideration without a refund." Coupang has agreed to revise its terms so that only complimentary points are canceled going forward.

Other clauses subject to correction include exemptions from operator liability where both the user and operator share fault, the prioritization of internal operating policies over stated terms, changes to payment methods without user consent, delays in settlement of sales proceeds and caps on damage compensation.

"The aim is to delete unfair exemption clauses and reasonably rebalance liability between users and operators," an FTC official said. "The revised terms are expected to be reflected by early May."

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 AHN HYO-SEONG [[email protected]]