Victims of the T-MEP incident are shouting slogans at the black umbrella rally held in the Jongno District of Seoul. /Courtesy of News1

The Fair Trade Commission announced on the 7th that it has decided to impose corrective orders on TMON and WeMakePrice for failing to refund the payment for goods despite customers' requests for withdrawal of subscription.

T-MEP (TMON + WeMakePrice) filed for rehabilitation proceedings with the Seoul District Court after a large-scale non-settlement and non-refund crisis in July 2024, and is currently undergoing rehabilitation procedures. Considering these circumstances, the Fair Trade Commission ordered T-MEP to announce the fact that it received a prohibition order and a corrective order, and to instruct consumers on the procedures to confirm the refund of the payment for goods that remain unpaid through notices on the cyber mall or individual notifications. The Commission also stated that it imposed a command order to include the unpaid amounts in the rehabilitation plan and submit it to the court.

A Fair Trade Commission official noted, "If the rehabilitation plan is passed in the meeting of related parties such as rehabilitation creditors and is approved by the Seoul District Court, consumers may be able to receive partial restitution of the unpaid amount according to the rehabilitation plan."

According to the Fair Trade Commission, TMON did not refund about 67.5 billion won for goods sold on its cyber mall between December 3, 2023, and July 24, 2024, even though consumers submitted withdrawal requests within three business days from the date of withdrawal.

WeMakePrice also failed to refund about 2.3 billion won within three business days from the date of withdrawal, despite consumers withdrawing their subscriptions for products sold on its cyber mall from March 27, 2024, to July 30, 2024.

Such actions by T-MEP violate Article 18, Paragraph 2 of the Electronic Commerce Act. A Fair Trade Commission official stated, "We will continuously monitor the electronic commerce law violations of online platform operators and actively respond for consumer protection."