Nexon Korea has agreed to compensate 800,000 players of its popular game MapleStory with 21.9 billion won worth of Nexon Cash. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – In a groundbreaking decision, Nexon Korea has agreed to compensate 800,000 players of its popular game MapleStory with 21.9 billion won worth of Nexon Cash, the company’s virtual currency that can be converted to real money.
This compensation comes in response to allegations that the company manipulated probabilities for in-game items.
The Korean Consumer Agency announced on September 22 that Nexon had accepted the recommendation made by the Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission on September 9.
This marks the first instance since the introduction of the group dispute mediation system in 2007 where a company has agreed to compensate all affected consumers based on the commission’s recommendation.
The scale of the compensation is also the largest in the program’s history.
The compensation will extend to players who used Red Cubes and Black Cubes, two types of premium items, between March 1, 2019, and March 5, 2021, regardless of whether they participated in the group dispute mediation.
Eligible users can apply for compensation through Nexon’s website from September 23 until the end of the year.
This decision follows an earlier ruling by the Fair Trade Commission, which imposed a fine of 11.6 billion won on Nexon earlier this year.
The commission found that Nexon had initially set equal probabilities for various item options but altered the structure in September 2010 to reduce the likelihood of popular options appearing.
Last month, the Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission decided that Nexon should reimburse participants in the group mediation 3.1% of their Red Cube purchases and 6.6% of their Black Cube purchases in Nexon Cash.
Of the 5,675 eligible participants, 86.6% (4,916 individuals) accepted the mediation terms and will receive their compensation next month.
The average compensation per person is about 200,000 won, with the highest individual compensation reaching nearly 10 million won.
A representative from the Korean Consumer Agency highlighted the significance of this case, stating, “This is the first instance where we have conducted a group dispute mediation process by directly recruiting victims in conjunction with the Fair Trade Commission’s measures.”
They added that the swift resolution—reaching a mediation agreement within five months of the initial application—and the decision to compensate all 800,000 affected users demonstrate the effectiveness of the group dispute mediation system.
The Fair Trade Commission has pledged to continue implementing policies that prevent and broadly protect against harm to game users.
The government is also pursuing amendments to relevant laws, including mandating the disclosure of probability information for randomized in-game items and requiring game companies to operate refund windows for at least 30 days after a game service ends.
Additionally, proposed changes to the e-commerce law would require overseas game companies to designate local representatives to address consumer complaints and disputes.
The amendments would also allow game companies found guilty of deceptive practices to propose remedial measures, including monetary compensation for consumers, during the Fair Trade Commission’s deliberation and decision-making process.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
