Coupang feared to become 1st target for FTC's investigative task force

Coupang is facing the prospect of even tougher regulatory scrutiny, as the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a special investigative task force to investigate complex violations involving dominant platforms, in what appears to be a move targeting the U.S.-listed e-commerce giant. The FTC launched its 40-member Key Investigation Planning Bureau on Thursday, upgrading its existing investigation team to a bureau-level organization dedicated to major cases involving platforms, large business groups and serious violations affecting consumers and small businesses. The new bureau comes as Coupang has emerged as one of the most persistent subjects of FTC scrutiny. With the company increasingly challenging the watchdog’s investigations and actions, their disputes expand across search rankings, supplier transactions, discount costs and its food delivery business. The FTC has not identified its first target, and there is no confirmation that Coupang will be assigned as the first investigation target from the task force. But the company’s expanding confrontation with the regulator means t