One in three South Korean consumers has experienced issues while shopping online, a government survey showed Friday (Nov 29), underscoring the need for improved consumer protection from e-commerce operators.
The survey, conducted on 2,000 local consumers, showed that 29.4% of the people shopping on local e-commerce platforms and 28.3% on overseas websites encountered problems, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said.
The most common issues reported were related to defective product quality, followed by delayed deliveries and false or exaggerated advertising, the FTC said.
The survey examined 10 local e-commerce platforms, such as Naver Shopping and Gmarket, as well as two China-based operators, AliExpress and Temu.
“Although there have been improvements in some consumer protection systems on online shopping platforms, there are still gaps in addressing consumer complaints and providing adequate remedies,” an FTC official said.
In 2023, the value of online shopping transactions reached an all-time high of 227.35 trillion won (US$163.1 billion), driven by increased demand for travel and other services following the COVID-19 pandemic. – Yonhap
