On Friday, a court granted struggling e-commerce platforms Tmon and WeMakePrice one month to independently pursue debt restructuring after they failed to fulfill payments to their vendors, amounting to an estimated 274 billion won ($200 million). The court's decision to permit an autonomous restructuring support program (ARS) came with the understanding that if future payments were included, the total amount could escalate to nearly 1 trillion won. During this one-month period, the companies will engage in voluntary negotiations with their creditors to reschedule payments, while the court defers its decision on whether to subject them to a court-led debt restructuring. The ARS period can be prolonged for up to three months. Tmon and WeMakePrice have faced allegations of continuing business transactions despite being aware of their inability to make timely payments to vendors due to financial liquidity issues. To mitigate the impact on small merchants, the court plans to conduct a consultation session involving the government and related organizations on August 13. The platforms have the opportunity to avoid a court-imposed rehabilitation procedure by reaching an agreement with their creditors. However, if negotiations fail, the court will reconsider whether to proceed with the process. Concurrently, the financial chief of Qoo10, the parent company of Tmon and WeMakePrice, was questioned by prosecutors on the same day as part of an investigation into the delayed payments and alleged irregular use of corporate funds. The offices of Qoo10 Technology, Tmon and WeMakePrice were also searched for the second consecutive day as prosecutors work to trace the funds intended for vendors.