SK Most Frequently Visited by Fair Trade Commission... Law Firm is Kim & Chang

Assemblyman Yoon Chang-hyun's Office Releases 'Fair Trade Commission External Contact Report Status'

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] This year, the conglomerate that contacted the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) the most was SK. Among major law firms, Kim & Chang was overwhelmingly the most frequently contacted.

According to data received by Yoon Chang-hyun, a member of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee from the People Power Party, from the FTC on the 30th, SK contacted the FTC 49 times from January to July this year, the highest among the top 15 conglomerates.

Samsung ranked second with 45 contacts, CJ third with 39, Lotte fourth with 36, and LG fifth with 32. The 6th to 15th places were Shinsegae, GS, Hyundai Motor, KT, Hanwha, Hyundai Department Store, POSCO, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Nonghyup, and Booyoung, respectively.

Until 2018, Samsung was the most frequent contact with the FTC, but last year and this year, it changed to SK. This is interpreted to mean that changes in FTC policies or directions in handling cases are significantly affecting the groups.

According to FTC regulations, since 2018, if employees in charge of the FTC from publicly disclosed business groups, lawyers from law firms, or retired FTC officials employed by companies or law firms have met or had phone calls with the audit officer, they must report it. Meetings held to investigate cases are excluded.

Law firms representing corporate lawsuits contacted the FTC more frequently.

Kim & Chang law office contacted the FTC a total of 440 times from January to July. This means they met or spoke with FTC staff more than twice a day.