Fraud and trade in prohibited items on the riseDanggeun Market shuts down phone support… replies take three daysJoonggonara effectively neglected… prohibited items still traded openly



#1. Mr. A, an office worker in his 30s, logged on to Danggeun Market last month to buy an electronic device costing close to 400,000 won. He happened to see a listing offering a brand-new unit for 50,000 won less and told the seller, Mr. B, that he wanted to buy it. Mr. B's 'manner temperature' was 60°C. When Mr. B, who boasted a solid transaction history and glowing reviews, pressed him, saying "I'm already getting lots of inquiries, and if you don't transfer the money right now I'll move on to the next person," Mr. A immediately wired 350,000 won. But Mr. B has since vanished, leaving only a promise to deliver the item.

#2. Ms. C, a homemaker in her 40s, was recently shocked to learn that her teenage child had bought e-cigarettes through Joonggonara. After stumbling upon the cigarettes among the child's belongings and pressing for where they came from, her child, D, answered, "I bought them on Joonggonara by parcel delivery." When Ms. C logged on to Joonggonara and searched 'cigarettes,' dozens of listings were already up for sale or marked as sold.

All manner of crimes are running rampant on secondhand trading platforms such as Danggeun Market and Joonggonara. Yet critics say these platforms are focused solely on growing bigger while neglecting crime prevention, response and recurrence prevention.

According to the Korea Internet & Security Agency on the 3rd, the secondhand trading market, worth 4 trillion won in 2008, surpassed 24 trillion won in 2021 and is projected to grow rapidly to 43 trillion won this year. As transaction volume grows, crimes such as fraud also increase every year, reaching 100,000 cases last year. Adding in trade in prohibited items and crimes targeting minors, the figure is expected to climb even higher.

But the secondhand platforms are leaving their flimsy operating systems as they are. Because Danggeun Market does not offer phone support, it does not respond immediately even when a user falls victim to a crime. It merely repeats the excuse that 'phone support involves cumbersome member identification procedures.' Inquiries through the app take up to three days to receive a reply, and even that is currently suspended.

Because secondhand trading has become a necessity of daily life, users say they have no choice but to reluctantly keep using these platforms despite knowing that crimes occur frequently. Danggeun Market, for its part, warns users who use harsh language toward a counterpart after a transaction goes wrong that "separately from the transaction problem, you may receive a 'bad-manners warning' or 'usage restriction.'"

Danggeun Market user Kim Ye-eun said, "Not long ago I was scammed while trying to buy a phone on Danggeun Market, and I couldn't get any help at all from Danggeun; when I reported it to the police, all I got was a reply that it's still being processed," adding, "I'd like to delete the app, but there's no real alternative, so I can't even do that."

In response, a Danggeun Market official said, "With 19 million monthly users currently posting an average of more than 15 million listings a month, it is realistically difficult to handle every inquiry by phone," adding, "We are using a modularized response process and technology that makes our guidelines as easy and detailed as possible so users can quickly get the solutions they need."

"We currently have a variety of safeguards in place to prevent fraud. In addition, even if a user with a history of sanctions signs up with a different number, usage restrictions are imposed immediately once our internal system identifies them as the same person," the official added. "By combining technical measures with active cooperation with investigations, we will strive to ensure there are no blind spots in user protection."

At Joonggonara, trade in prohibited items is a serious problem. Prohibited items such as medicines, alcohol and cigarettes can easily be found with a search, prompting criticism that the platform is a blind spot for minors. Prohibited items are traded surreptitiously through questions such as 'How should I use product OOO?' Sellers post an informational question and slyly add contact details to solicit sales. In the case of alcohol and cigarettes, trades are also conducted through listings claiming to sell the case or packaging.

Under current law, alcohol and tobacco cannot be traded online by individuals without a sales license. Doing so is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. Yet countless users on Joonggonara are still selling or buying them. The fact that sales listings from days or months ago remain up is proof that Joonggonara is effectively turning a blind eye to trade in prohibited items.

Experts point out that as the scope of secondhand trading expands from cheap household goods to luxury goods, apartments, cars and even part-time jobs, and as transaction volume grows without limit, more proactive measures by these companies are urgently needed.

Attorney Shin Dong-woo of DAEON Law Firm said, "Platform operators can also bear legal liability for criminal acts that occur in the course of secondhand transactions on the platform," adding, "If platform operators fail to take appropriate safety measures to protect users or fail to fulfill their duty of care, they may be liable for damages, and in particular, if they knowingly overlook criminal acts, they may be found guilty of aiding and abetting."

"Platform operators must take appropriate measures or fulfill their duty to prevent criminal acts taking place on the platform," he stressed. Newsway Reporter Yang Mi-jeong