(FTC)
South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is moving to revive its Investigation Bureau, its former primary enforcement arm, 21 years after it was abolished in 2005.
According to government sources on Wednesday, the FTC is reviewing a restructuring plan that would expand its current seven-member Special Investigation Team into a full Investigation Bureau with roughly 30 to 40 staff members.
“We are reviewing supplementary budget allocations related to the establishment of the Investigation Bureau and are currently discussing the scale of personnel expansion and its functions with relevant ministries,” said an FTC official.
The Investigation Bureau was first established in 1996 and led probes and sanctions against unfair business practices, including improper internal transactions among major conglomerates.
However, it was dissolved in 2005 after criticism from the business community that it excessively constrained normal corporate activity.
Since then, the FTC created a Special Investigation Team in 2024 to handle cases drawing significant public attention. However, critics argued that limited manpower made it difficult to respond effectively to large-scale investigations.
If the Investigation Bureau is formally reinstated, its strengthened authority – including expanded capability for planned investigations – is expected to heighten tensions within the corporate sector.
Momentum for the bureau’s revival has reportedly increased under the administration of Lee Jae-myung, which has been pushing to strengthen the FTC’s authority and expand its organization.
The FTC already increased staffing by 167 employees this year and is planning an additional expansion of 200 personnel.
Separately, the FTC is also pursuing the creation of an Economic Analysis Bureau to strengthen support for investigations and case processing.
댓글
0