Conglomerates' bid to ease commerce, finance separation should be 'last resort': FTC

Relaxing Korea’s longstanding separation of commerce and finance would be a last resort measure to meet conglomerates’ calls for greater investment in the booming AI and semiconductor sectors, said the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) on Friday.

2025-11-23

Hermes defeats class action again over hard-to-get Birkin bags

French luxury brand Hermes has convinced a U.S. judge to dismiss for a second time a lawsuit alleging it violates antitrust law by forcing buyers to spend thousands of dollars on its products before they can purchase a Birkin handbag.

2025-09-18

Kakao Mobility fined $10.5M for favoring franchised cabs

Kakao Mobility has been fined 15.1 billion won by the Fair Trade Commission for unfair business practices.

2024-12-17

Antitrust regulator urges Samsung to clean up business practices

Korea's antitrust regulator has ordered Samsung Electronics to take corrective steps, accusing the company of interfering with the business operations of its authorized retail stores.

2024-04-10

Google pays billions to Samsung, Apple in controversial search engine deals

Samsung Electronics and Apple are being paid billions of dollars by Google for making its search engine the default on their phones from deals that have been largely shrouded in mystery for over a decade.

2023-11-01

Broadcom to appeal FTC's $14.3 million fine for market power abuse

Broadcom called the FTC's decision "regretful" in a statement Monday, adding it will take the case to the Seoul High Court.

2023-09-25

FTC ups efforts to stamp out 'dark commercial patterns'

Ever purchased a product under a “last day offer” only to find out the offer was still valid the next day? Korea’s antitrust regulator is looking to stamp out such consumer-deceiving practices.

2023-08-09

FTC rejects Broadcom's proposal in dispute with Samsung

Korea's antitrust agency Tuesday rejected corrective measures proposed by Broadcom to address allegations that it abused its market dominance to browbeat Samsung Electronics, opening up the door for a possible civil damages suit.

2023-06-13

FTC rejects Broadcom's $15 million proposal to correct unfair practices

Korea's antitrust agency Tuesday rejected corrective measures Broadcom proposed to address the abuse of its dominant market power that it committed against Samsung Electronics.