To Prevent Sales of Counterfeit Goods

Naver has tightened the conditions for foreigners wishing to join Naver Smart Store.

As controversy over counterfeit products arises in e-marketplaces, Naver is  tightening the conditions for foreigners wishing to join Naver Smart Store. In the future, foreign residents in Korea will be required to submit their business registration cards to receive approval from Naver.

Naver will block registrations in Naver Smart Store by individual sellers with foreign nationality beginning from May 4. It will only allow foreigners residing in Korea who have completed business registrations to sell goods at Naver Smart Store.

Currently, Naver Smart Store merchants can sign up as individual sellers without business registrations. All that is required is mobile phone authentication. Foreigners residing in Korea can act as individual sellers at Naver Smart Store if they have an alien registration number. As a result, foreign students and short-term foreign residents can sell their products at Naver Smart Store, which makes customers vulnerable in terms of consumer protection.

“In the case of foreign individual sellers, even if there is a problem with their goods, consumers cannot receive proper compensation after the sellers leave Korea,” a Naver official said. “We have decided to strengthen conditions for foreigners to join Naver Smart Store.”

Currently, foreigners residing in Korea can sell goods at Coupang, SSG.com, and Lotte On only when they have business registration certificates. On the other hand, foreigners residing in Korea can sign up as individual sellers in Gmarket and 11ST as well as Naver Smart Store just by going through an identity verification process.

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