ISTANBUL 

South Korea’s antitrust regulator said it fined Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress nearly 2.1 billion won (approximately $1.5 million) for misleading customers with false discount rates, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said AliExpress violated fair labeling and advertising rules on its platform and ordered corrective measures.

According to the regulator, two AliExpress subsidiaries ran misleading advertisements more than 7,500 times between May 2023 and October 2024. The ads listed inflated “original” prices that were never offered before applying false discounts.

In one example, a tablet sold at 270,000 won was advertised with an original price of 660,000 won, creating a false 58% discount.

The FTC said the practice misled consumers about the true price and discount rate and "distorted reasonable purchasing choice" by overstating economic benefits.

The regulator also imposed a separate fine of 2 million won on the company for failing to disclose its operators’ personal information and terms of service on its website.