South korea: The South Korean government has imposed a combined fine of 10 million won (approximately US$6,630) on the international travel agency Trip.com for multiple violations of e-commerce regulations, including issuing refunds in the form of vouchers instead of cash, as announced by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC).

According to Yonhap News Agency, the FTC identified that Trip.com Travel Singapore Ltd. and Trip.com Korea did not process refunds through the original payment methods used by their customers. This practice is deemed unfavorable to consumers under the consumer protection law that governs e-commerce platforms in South Korea. The agency reported that Trip.com issued refunds with airline vouchers in 13,010 cases, totaling 3.1 billion won from February 2020 to July 2025.

The FTC further elaborated that Trip.com misled its customers by informing them that refunds were only available in the form of airline vouchers, thus restricting consumers' ability to freely cancel purchases as protected under South Korean law. The commission emphasized that even if an airline's refund policy aligns with Trip.com's practices, it remains a violation if it contravenes the consumer-friendly stipulations of the e-commerce law.

Additionally, the FTC noted that the Singapore and South Korean branches of Trip.com provided information on airline tickets without the necessary registration as e-commerce businesses. The companies have since completed the registration process in South Korea in 2025 and have halted the sale of tickets from airlines that only offer voucher-based refunds.