The South Korean Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has imposed sanctions on Pokémon Korea for selling the ‘Pokémon Random Box’ online. (image: Fair Trade Commission)
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has imposed sanctions on Pokémon Korea for selling the ‘Pokémon Random Box’ online without providing essential information about its contents, including dolls and figures randomly included in the boxes.
The FTC announced on Tuesday that it had issued a fine of 1 million won and a corrective order against Pokémon Korea for violating the E-commerce Transaction Act.
In January, Pokémon Korea offered a ‘Lucky Box for New Year 2023’ through its online Pokémon Store. However, the company failed to provide information about the names of 83 candidate items and their countries of manufacture.
Instead, Pokémon Korea only displayed the selling price and item prices without disclosing the item names and countries of manufacture.
In recent days, random boxes have gained popularity in South Korea. Consumers purchase these boxes without knowing what items are included in the boxes. They can only discover the items after making the purchase and opening the box.
However, the practice of not providing information about the candidate items constitutes a violation of the E-Commerce Act. According to this act, sellers are required to inform consumers about product names and the country of manufacture.
The FTC stressed that this sanction does not pertain to the sale of random boxes itself but rather addresses the issue of failing to provide essential information to consumers.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
