Pokémon Korea fined 1 million won by antitrust regulator

Pokémon products are displayed at a department store in southern Seoul on Feb. 17. [YONHAP]

Korea's antitrust regulator said Tuesday it has decided to slap a fine of 1 million won ($750) on Pokémon Korea for failing to display necessary information when selling its random boxes of toys.

The punitive measure on the local branch of the global franchise of games and animation content came after the company sold its "New Year Lucky Box" earlier this year, consisting of random toys, without offering any information to consumers.

"A random box is a sales strategy where consumers are uncertain about the specific products they will receive, as they are only given information about potential options," the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said.

"However, in this case, consumers were not provided with any information and were deprived of their opportunity to make a rational decision," it added.

The FTC noted Pokémon Korea did not notify consumers of 83 potential products, nor their country of origin.

The fine, however, was limited to just 1 million won as the company had not committed a similar violation over the past three years.

Yonhap