SEOUL – The 'T-Mep' incident, involving TMON and WeMakePrice (collectively known as T-Mep) and causing a massive delay in refunds due to the misappropriation of customer payments, is now heading towards a legal battle as more than half of the involved businesses have rejected the government's decision.

The Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) announced on Thursday that out of the 122 businesses involved, only 48 (39.3%) have accepted the refund settlement plan for travel, accommodation, and airline products.

Consumers who used the services of the businesses that accepted the settlement will receive a total of ₩1.6 billion in compensation.

Last December, the Consumer Dispute Resolution Committee ordered T-Mep to refund 100% of the payment amount, while travel agencies and other sellers were to refund up to 90%, and Payment Gateway (PG) companies were to refund up to 30% of the payment amount.

While T-Mep agreed to the decision, only 42 out of 106 sellers and 4 out of 14 PG companies accepted the settlement.

Among PG companies, only Hecto Financial agreed, while Kakao Pay, Viva Republica, and Naver Financial had already completed full refunds.

However, even T-Mep's acceptance seems to be of little practical value as the companies are currently undergoing court-led rehabilitation procedures.

The KCA also revealed that major travel agencies have rejected the settlement plan.

Consumers who are unable to receive refunds due to the rejection of the businesses can apply for legal support on the KCA website from the 17th of this month for one month. The KCA has stated that it will support litigation costs for applicants to protect their rights.

Meanwhile, apart from the travel, accommodation, and airline ticket dispute settlement, about 12,000 consumers are participating in the Happy Money Gift Certificate group dispute settlement.