Watchdog's probe into Coupang stalls after inspection refusal

The fair trade watchdog's probe into the Korean arm of U.S.-listed Coupang Inc. appears to have hit a setback after the e-commerce giant refused investigators' recent attempts to conduct on-site inspections, citing procedural issues, industry sources said Thursday. According to sources, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) had planned to conduct on-site inspections of Coupang's Korean unit from last week through this week over allegations that the company violated the Act on Fair Transactions in Large Retail Business. The allegations center on suspicions that Coupang shifted the costs of discounts onto its suppliers. Sources said Coupang declined to cooperate with the investigation, claiming that the company had not been notified of the inspections as stipulated under the Framework Act on Administrative Investigations. "The requirement to provide seven days' advance notice of an on-site inspection is a legal procedure designed to protect the rights and interests of those subject to an investigation," Coupang said in a statement earlier this week. "Coupang plans to seek a court ruling over the