Price control persists amid probe / KBS 2025.11.04.　#KBSNews

Baemin and Coupang Eats are under investigation by the Fair Trade Commission for allegedly pressuring partner companies regarding prices and minimum order amounts.

However, Coupang Eats continues to enforce price controls even in this situation.

Reporter Choi Ji-hyun has the details.

[Report]

A delivery-specialized restaurant in Seoul.

On weekdays, they receive calls like this almost every day.

[Coupang Eats Employee/Voice Altered: “I’m calling again because of the minimum order amount. Could you please lower it to 4,000 won and try operating with that?”]

The minimum order amount for this restaurant is 16,900 won for Coupang Eats and 14,000 won for Baemin, but they are being told to take them the same.

[Coupang Eats Employee/Voice Altered: “‘How about raising the minimum order amount for Baemin? We need to keep it the same. (Do we really have to match it?) Then I will keep calling. That’s my job.”]

This is what is referred to as the coercion of ‘most-favored’ treatment.

The Fair Trade Commission has deemed this an unfair trade practice and initiated sanctions against Coupang Eats and Baemin last month.

However, the demands from Coupang continue even after that.

[Mr. A/Delivery Restaurant Operator/Voice Altered: “(After the Fair Trade Commission’s announcement) nothing has changed, and in fact, the very next day, they called right away, which was quite shocking.”]

Mr. A is not the only one receiving such calls.

There were also warnings about potential disadvantages.

[Mr. B/Cafe Operator/Voice Altered: “(If we don’t match the price with Baemin) they notify us that they will remove the Wow badge. Only stores with the Wow badge get exposure, which is related to sales.”]

By controlling the prices of partner companies, the competition among delivery app companies to lower fees or delivery charges has effectively disappeared.

[Kim Nam-geun/Democratic Party Member: “If they continue to engage in other most favored treatment practices despite the review process for imposing fines, it indicates a very serious issue.”]

Coupang Eats stated that they do not demand ‘most-favored’ treatment and will clarify this during the Fair Trade Commission’s review process.

KBS News, Choi Ji-hyun.

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