Fair Trade Commission Chairman Joo Byung-ki said on Sunday the agency is "reviewing" whether to suspend Coupang's business after the company suffered a personal data leak.

Joo made the remarks during an appearance on the YouTube channel "Kim Eo-jun's Humility Is Hard, News Factory," saying a probe is under way by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Personal Information Protection Commission and a public-private joint investigation team.

He said the commission will assess what damage consumers could face from the leak and what relief measures are available, and then issue corrective orders to Coupang. If the company does not implement the orders, or if the commission judges consumer relief cannot be achieved through them, a business suspension is also possible, he added.

Joo introduced other issues the commission is examining at Coupang in addition to the personal data leak.

He said the commission views shifting to suppliers losses incurred by Coupang from selling at the lowest prices as a major unfair practice. He added that the review results will be announced soon.

Joo said shifting losses in a situation where target profits are not met is a "predatory business form".

Joo said the commission is also reviewing or investigating allegations including deceptive advertising of discount benefits applied to Wow membership members and forcing delivery app merchants to offer most-favoured-business treatment.

He added that the commission will soon complete its investigation into controversy over claims Coupang complicated its membership cancellation process to prevent users from leaving.

On whether Kim Beom-seok, the chairman of Coupang Inc who effectively controls Coupang, can be designated as Coupang's same person (controlling owner), Joo said the commission checks the designation every year. He said it plans to closely examine this time whether Kim and his family participate in management.

If Kim himself or relatives are found to participate in management, the commission can change Coupang's same person from the Coupang corporation to Kim.

Joo said the commission is moving to sanction collusion in prices of food ingredients closely tied to daily life, including sugar, pork, flour, eggs and starch syrup. He also said it is pushing to "make it realistic at the level of advanced countries" by raising standards for fines imposed for abuse of market dominance, like the European Union or Japan.

He stressed the need for legislation suited to the online platform industry to respond to illegal acts based on digital data, including sophisticated transactions that use so-called dynamic pricing that adjusts prices frequently depending on market conditions.

[Yonhap News Agency]