NAVER Provides Redress in 83.6% of Consumer Disputes, Strengthens Prevention System

[Financial News] The consumer redress rate at the Dispute Mediation Center operated by NAVER was found to be 83.6%. NAVER plans to expand preventive measures aimed at reducing disputes between sellers and consumers while further advancing its response system using dispute data.
NAVER's User Protection and Self-Regulation Committee announced on the 6th that this was the result of an analysis of consumer dispute data from the Dispute Mediation Center, which NAVER has operated since 2017.
When the researchers cross-analyzed dispute cases reported to NAVER with external consumer counseling data, the actual consumer redress rate was calculated at 83.6%. The analysis involved Choi Nan-seolheon, a professor at Yonsei University; Daeho Lee, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University; and Jung Ji-yeon, secretary-general of the Korea Consumer Federation.
Key factors that make dispute resolution difficult included sellers becoming unreachable or refusing to respond. However, because various factors—including the product's price and type, whether it was opened or collected, and whether supporting documentation was secured—affect the outcome, the researchers said a more detailed evaluation system is needed.
The researchers positively assessed NAVER's efforts to strengthen measures that screen out problematic sellers before disputes arise. Since last year, NAVER has tightened sanctions against sellers who cannot be reached and has automatically imposed penalties for false shipping invoices. Overseas shipments falsely presented as being sent from within the country are also subject to sanctions.
For disputes that arise, the researchers proposed more sophisticated data classification. They explained that the causes and outcomes of disputes should be analyzed using multiple criteria, including sellers' response methods, buyers' demands, the causes of disputes, and specific issues involved.
They also recommended building a system to detect early signs of consumer harm by cross-checking data with external consumer counseling centers. Given NAVER's structural limitation as a transaction intermediary rather than a seller, the company needs to use its accumulated dispute data to strengthen its consumer protection and seller management capabilities.
Yoo Bong-seok, NAVER's chief risk officer (CRO), said, "We will continue to incorporate recommendations for improvement to provide a better consumer and user experience."


[email protected] Choi Hye-rim Reporter