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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] SEOUL, April 9, 2026 — Yes24 is facing a lawsuit from a user of its Crema e-reader, after older devices effectively became unusable following the termination of service support.
According to industry sources, Yes24 has recently been sued in a small-claims case by a Crema user identified as “A,” who argues that a previously functional device became unusable due to changes in service policy rather than hardware failure.
The Crema series, developed by Korean e-book platform consortium Korea ePub — jointly established by Yes24 and other retailers — relies on integration with online services to access and download content.
The plaintiff purchased a “Crema Carta” device in 2017 and used it without issue until September last year, when official support for older models was discontinued. Following the shutdown, key functions such as login, purchase history access, and book downloads — all of which require network connectivity — were no longer available.
The plaintiff is seeking compensation of 30,000 won for the device and 500,000 won in damages. Under South Korean law, small-claims cases apply to civil disputes involving claims of up to 30 million won.
The dispute stems from a policy change rather than a device defect. Yes24 ended official support in September 2025 for Crema devices running Android 4.4 or earlier. The company cited technical limitations, noting that the outdated operating system — first released in 2013 — can no longer support updated security certificate requirements, thereby restricting server connectivity.
As a result, users of older devices can only access books previously downloaded for offline reading. If the device is reset, stored content cannot be recovered. Yes24 offered discount coupons worth 30,000 to 40,000 won toward the purchase of newer Crema devices as compensation.
However, critics argue that such platform-dependent limitations raise broader concerns about product lifespan predictability. Consumers may find it difficult to estimate how long a device will remain usable when its core functionality depends on continued software and service support.
Concerns have also been raised over the adequacy of compensation. Some users say discount coupons tied to the same brand do not constitute meaningful restitution, particularly for those unwilling to repurchase within the ecosystem. Additionally, users who had not pre-downloaded content before the service shutdown effectively lost access to their purchased books.
Given the widespread adoption of the Crema series in South Korea, similar complaints could emerge from other users. There are also concerns that secondhand buyers may unknowingly purchase unsupported devices.
When asked for comment, Yes24 said it could not provide detailed responses as the matter is currently subject to legal proceedings.
AlphaBIZ Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
