Coupang has refused an on-site inspection by South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission into whether it shifted the cost of price-matching coupons onto suppliers, and has sued to invalidate the inspection order. The company argues that the Framework Act on Administrative Investigations required seven days’ written notice, while the FTC says it could proceed without advance warning because of a risk that evidence might be destroyed. The regulator withdrew from Coupang’s headquarters on the 24th after the lawsuit was filed on the 21st and plans to impose a fine of up to 200 million won, while considering a criminal referral. The dispute is the first outright rejection of an FTC on-site inspection since the commission was established and could clarify the scope of unannounced inspections under the Act on Fair Transactions in Large Retail Business.