An example of AliExpress falsely advertising a 58% discount by listing a regular price of 660,000 won — a price at which the item was never actually sold. (Photo provided by the Fair Trade Commission)
SEOUL· SEJONG, Aug. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — AliExpress, the Chinese e-commerce platform, has been hit with a multimillion-dollar penalty in South Korea for misleading customers with inflated discount claims on thousands of products.
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Sunday it imposed corrective orders and fines totaling 20.93 billion won ($15.5 million) after finding that AliExpress affiliates OceanSky and MICTW engaged in more than 7,500 false or exaggerated advertisements between May 2023 and October 2024.
Investigators found the companies listed fictitious “regular prices” for items that had never been sold at those amounts, then calculated deceptive discount rates based on those inflated figures. In one case, a tablet priced at 270,000 won was advertised as discounted 58 percent from a supposed original price of 660,000 won — a price at which it had never been offered.
OceanSky alone was found to have listed 2,422 products with false discount rates, while MICTW accounted for more than 5,000. The FTC called the practice a deliberate attempt to distort consumers’ perception of actual savings.
The regulator also cited AliExpress’s operator, Alibaba Singapore, and its Korean unit, Ali Korea, for violations of e-commerce law, including failure to disclose basic identity information and terms of service. A separate 2 million won fine was imposed.
“This ruling underscores our commitment to applying the same standards to domestic and foreign businesses alike, ensuring that consumers can shop with confidence,” the FTC said in a statement.
AliExpress responded that it had “immediately corrected all issues identified during the investigation,” and that the remedial measures were acknowledged by regulators. The company said it prioritizes compliance in every market, adding that it would continue adjusting its operations to meet Korean laws and consumer expectations.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
