Overview

• Shinsegae said the 50:50 joint venture with Alibaba won KFTC clearance and is scheduled to launch in October.
• The approval requires Gmarket, Auction and AliExpress to operate separately, prohibits sharing domestic consumer data, and mandates technical barriers to block backend and algorithmic integration.
• The behavioral remedies will run for three years with the possibility of extension based on future market conditions.
• The FTC cited market shares of 37.1% for AliExpress and 3.9% for Gmarket in cross‑border direct imports, putting the combined entity at 41%.
• Regulators and Shinsegae pointed to export opportunities for Korean sellers, with plans to open access first in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines and to list up to 20 million products from 600,000 Gmarket sellers this year.