South Korea's antitrust watchdog has taken action against a prominent dating agency for inflating its membership figures. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) issued a fine and corrective order against Duo Information Co. on Wednesday for overstating the number of users with professional careers and degrees from prestigious universities.
The regulatory body levied a penalty of 345 million won, equivalent to roughly $249,450, on the company. This action stems from misleading advertisements disseminated through online news articles, the company's website, blogs, and outdoor promotions, some of which remained active until recently. The FTC highlighted that the platform claimed to possess the industry's largest pool of elite members, citing figures of 5,135 professionals and 16,479 graduates from top-tier schools, yet failed to provide any substantiating evidence for these numbers.
Furthermore, the data was compiled using the company's own internally defined criteria for what constituted a "professional elite" or a "prestigious university" graduate. The agency also found that Duo asserted it was the only matchmaking institution to publicly disclose regulatory filings with the Financial Supervisory Service, when in fact a competitor was doing the same. Additionally, the FTC noted that Duo advertised a roster of matchmaking consultants, but the actual number was only 188, with the promotional material inaccurately including employees from other departments in that count.
The FTC emphasized the critical nature of accurate advertising in the matchmaking service sector, stating, "In this industry, clients often find it difficult to ascertain what services they will receive prior to formal registration. Therefore, it is essential for operators to provide accurate information in their advertisements, grounded in objective evidence and facts." The regulatory body has pledged to continue its oversight of misleading advertising within the dating industry to ensure customers receive precise information and are empowered to make sound decisions.