CreatripTeam

The civic group 참여연대 (People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy) released a report saying merchants on the delivery app 배달의민족 (Baemin) face rising total fees — delivery charges plus commission and payment fees. Between August 2023 and August 2025, the combined fee rate for three sampled shops rose from about 20–22% to 23–26%. For orders under 20,000 KRW, fixed delivery fees make up a larger share; on a 15,000 KRW sale, fees sometimes exceeded 4,500 KRW. A “free delivery” policy introduced last year appears to have prompted restaurants to raise menu prices and force coupons or subscription costs onto customers. In one example, a meal costing 15,000 KRW in 2023 rose to 17,190 KRW this year after higher menu prices and a 1,990 KRW subscription fee for free delivery. 참여연대 argues there is a clear link between higher platform fees and higher food prices and proposes limiting total fees to 15% per order (a “total fee cap”).