Politics · South Korea · 2 hrs ago
South Korea sets common standards for secondhand trading platforms
South Korea's National Institute of Technology and Standards has established a national standard for secondhand trading platforms.
The guidance divides platform services into six stages, from signing up and checking sellers to feedback after a transaction.
It calls for buyers to be told whether a seller is an individual or a business, and for product details and defects to be checked.
For shipped purchases, platforms should provide ways to track delivery and request returns or refunds; for in-person deals, buyers should be able to inspect items.
Platforms should follow a five-step process for disputes, including checking the facts and directing users to outside mediation when needed.
Secondhand trading is widespread in South Korea, with 23.39 million users as of August last year, while dispute mediation requests rose from 906 in 2020 to 5,848 last year.
The standard sets shared procedures, not a guarantee against fraud or failed refunds, and the guidance says all platforms should provide services using common standards.
South Korea has established national standards for secondhand trading platforms, setting common procedures from seller checks to refunds and dispute handling.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Korean Agency for Technology and Standards announced the standards on October 29.
The guidelines divide platform services into six stages and set out protections for both in-person and remote transactions.
They also outline a five-step process for platforms to handle disputes.
The standards do not themselves prevent fraud or guarantee refunds.
- Who
- South Korea’s Korean Agency for Technology and Standards established the standards for secondhand trading platforms.
- What
- A national standard sets common service procedures, including seller verification, returns, refunds and dispute handling.
- When
- October 29, 2026.
- Where
- South Korea.
- Why
- To help prevent fraud and disputes and support safer, more consistent services for users.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Applications for mediation of secondhand-trading disputes numbered 906.
The secondhand market was estimated at about 35 trillion won.
Applications for mediation of secondhand-trading disputes rose to 5,848, and reported losses from direct-transaction fraud reached about 874.1 billion won.
The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards announced the new national standard for secondhand trading platforms.
- Guideline stages
- 6
- Dispute-handling steps
- 5
- Secondhand-trading users
- 23.39 million as of August last year
- Market size
- About 35 trillion won in 2023
- Dispute-mediation applications
- 5,848 last year, up from 906 in 2020
What people are saying
Since secondhand trading is a service widely used in people's daily lives, it is important that all platform operators provide services according to common standards so that everyone can use them safely and conveniently.