Webzen has been fined 158 million won (approximately $107,000 USD) by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) for misleading players about the drop rates of rare items in the mobile MMORPG MU Archangel.
The KFTC found that the company was selling three types of lottery tickets with a hidden minimum draw requirement: the chance of rare items was 0% until 50–149 attempts. Players saw displayed probabilities of 0.88% or 0.286% from the first attempt, creating a false impression of the possibility of immediate success.
The issue surfaced in March 2024. Webzen then apologized, offered refunds, and claimed a «display error in probabilities». However, out of 20,226 affected users, only 860 (less than 5%) received compensation.
Between June 2020 and March 2024, Webzen earned approximately 6.7 billion won (over $4.5 million) from these mechanics. Industry observers note that the fine is small compared to the company's earnings.