20241108 PA S Korea wrestles with internet platforms img

Many of the online service providers that the South Korean government seeks to restrain are local companies, rather than American ones. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)

South Korea flounders in quest to restrain power of online platforms

Proponents and opponents of regulation both spurn Yoon's attempt at compromise

SEOUL -- As the operator of a burger shop in southern Seoul, Hwang Seong-koo had a growing feeling that he was not feeding customers so much as sating the appetite of online delivery services like Coupang Eats and Baedal Minjok, known as Baemin.

These companies, which accounted for almost a third of his sales, were holding onto as much as 30% of his customers' order payments to cover brokerage, transaction and delivery fees.

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