Probe into auto-redirect ads

[Anchor]

You may have experienced the inconvenience of suddenly having the Coupang site open without even clicking on an advertisement online.

This is referred to as 'hijack ads' or auto-redirect ads because it involves visiting a site against your will.

The Korea Communications Commission has begun an investigation into these 'hijack ads', stating that they cannot overlook the inconvenience faced by users.

Reporter Woo Jeong-hwa has the details.

[Report]

I accessed an internet news site using my smartphone.

There are Coupang ads attached in four places for a single news article.

While reading the news, if I carelessly swipe my finger up, I might unknowingly click on the ad, or just moving my finger near the ad can immediately open the Coupang app.

The so-called 'hijack ads' come in various forms, but the most common method is to place many ads to induce user clicks or to respond to the common action of simply swiping a finger up.

This is a kind of trick created by businesses that have contracts with Coupang to attract consumers.

By gathering consumers this way, if they end up purchasing items on Coupang, it leads to profit for the businesses.

[Jeon Ji-yeon/Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul: "Just seeing the ads feels like a waste of time, and it often disrupts my concentration, which is quite frustrating. Sometimes I feel bad as if I'm being used for someone else's profit."]

The Korea Communications Commission has been conducting a fact-finding survey since November of last year to address user complaints.

In particular, the Commission plans to closely examine whether Coupang is effectively neglecting these types of ads.

[Seong Jae-sik/Survey Support Team Leader, Korea Communications Commission: "We plan to thoroughly investigate whether Coupang, which is responsible for the operation of the ads and ad management, is violating prohibited acts under the Telecommunications Business Act."]

Coupang stated that this issue is not something they directly caused, but rather a problem with some malicious businesses, and they expressed their willingness to actively cooperate with the Commission's investigation.

This is KBS News, Woo Jeong-hwa reporting.