Seoul: South Korea's antitrust regulator announced that it has fined Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress nearly 2.1 billion won, equivalent to approximately $1.5 million, for misleading customers by advertising false discount rates. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has mandated corrective measures to be implemented by AliExpress due to these violations.
According to Anadolu Agency, the FTC found that two subsidiaries of AliExpress were responsible for running misleading advertisements over 7,500 times between May 2023 and October 2024. These advertisements featured inflated "original" prices that were never actually offered, thereby creating a false impression of discounts.
One specific instance highlighted involved a tablet that was sold for 270,000 won but was advertised with an original price of 660,000 won, suggesting a misleading 58% discount to consumers.
The FTC emphasized that such practices misled consumers regarding the actual price and discount rates, ultimately distorting their purchasing decisions by overstating economic benefits. Besides the fine related to misleading advertisements, the regulator also imposed an additional fine of 2 million won on AliExpress for failing to disclose its operators' personal information and terms of service on its website.