Startup-Related Complaints on the Rise, Up 36.5% This Year: Anti-Corruption Commission

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) announced today (September 21) that the monthly average number of startup-related civil complaints collected by its Civil Complaint Information Analysis System over the past year has jumped 36.5% this year.

The monthly average number of complaints stood at 159 in 2025 (August – December) before rising to 217 in 2026 (January – July).

On a monthly basis, the complaints have been consistently climbing, from 154 cases in August of last year to 170 in December of the same year, and reaching 234 cases in April of this year.

Major cases included inquiries regarding startup support information and administrative procedures, inconveniences related to operating criteria of support programs, questions concerning government startup policy funds, and vulnerabilities in transaction security within the startup market.

The ACRC stated that it has forwarded the analysis results to relevant government organizations, including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development.
 
(Photo courtesy of ACRC, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.