The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is initiating a large-scale survey to assess the transaction status between major online platforms and their partner businesses, including delivery services, open markets, and accommodations.
On August 13, the FTC announced it will conduct a study titled 'Fact-finding Survey on Transaction Status and Unfair Trade Cases between Major Platforms and Partner Businesses.' This research will take place over three months, from today until November 12.
The FTC's decision to investigate online platforms comes as the market has rapidly expanded, leading to a significant increase in related disputes. The number of platform-related disputes reported to the Fair Trade Dispute Mediation Council rose from 103 cases in 2021 to 445 cases in 2025, marking an increase of approximately 330%.
The FTC plans to closely examine the market structure and transaction status, focusing on three key sectors: delivery, open markets, and accommodations, where complaints have been concentrated. The survey will reassess the market conditions that have changed since the end of 2022 and will include direct surveys of partner businesses to gather specific insights into their burdens and challenges.
The partner business survey will specifically analyze issues related to costs such as commissions, instances of harm experienced during transactions, and experiences with dispute resolution.
Additionally, to objectively verify industry practices, the FTC will conduct a written survey of platform operators. The commission will send out a questionnaire to major platform operators in the delivery, open market, and accommodation sectors to comprehensively review aspects such as commission and advertising fee structures, operational practices, data policies, and dispute resolution procedures.
An FTC official stated, "Based on the results of this research and the written survey, we plan to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the transaction status between partner businesses and platforms, and engage with experts from academia and other fields. We aim to use this as foundational data for establishing fair trading practices in the online platform market."
On August 13, the FTC announced it will conduct a study titled 'Fact-finding Survey on Transaction Status and Unfair Trade Cases between Major Platforms and Partner Businesses.' This research will take place over three months, from today until November 12.
The FTC's decision to investigate online platforms comes as the market has rapidly expanded, leading to a significant increase in related disputes. The number of platform-related disputes reported to the Fair Trade Dispute Mediation Council rose from 103 cases in 2021 to 445 cases in 2025, marking an increase of approximately 330%.
The FTC plans to closely examine the market structure and transaction status, focusing on three key sectors: delivery, open markets, and accommodations, where complaints have been concentrated. The survey will reassess the market conditions that have changed since the end of 2022 and will include direct surveys of partner businesses to gather specific insights into their burdens and challenges.
The partner business survey will specifically analyze issues related to costs such as commissions, instances of harm experienced during transactions, and experiences with dispute resolution.
Additionally, to objectively verify industry practices, the FTC will conduct a written survey of platform operators. The commission will send out a questionnaire to major platform operators in the delivery, open market, and accommodation sectors to comprehensively review aspects such as commission and advertising fee structures, operational practices, data policies, and dispute resolution procedures.
An FTC official stated, "Based on the results of this research and the written survey, we plan to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the transaction status between partner businesses and platforms, and engage with experts from academia and other fields. We aim to use this as foundational data for establishing fair trading practices in the online platform market."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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