West Sea Coast Guard Cheong, Four Suspects Arrested for Bid Rigging in Fisheries Business Worth 900 Million Won

Producers and Seafood Distribution Company Representatives Collude in Bid Rigging... Investigation Expands

Four seafood distributors who colluded to win a bid for a 900 million KRW class blood cockle seed dispersal project, which included local subsidies, were caught and booked by the Coast Guard.

The West Sea Regional Coast Guard Agency (Chief Kim In-chang) Metropolitan Investigation Unit announced on the 5th that they have booked without detention four seafood distributors including Mr. A (in his 30s) on suspicion of collusion during the bidding process for the blood cockle seed dispersal project commissioned and ordered by Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province to the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency this year.

Jeon-gyeong of the West Sea Regional Coast Guard Headquarters

Mr. A and three other seafood distributors are suspected of colluding on the bid amount and recruiting front companies to ensure that Mr. A’s company was selected, exploiting the fact that only ‘land-based tank blood cockle seed’ could be supplied in the blood cockle seed dispersal project worth approximately 875 million KRW, which included local subsidies.

Additionally, seafood distributor Mr. A was also charged with obstructing the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency’s operations by submitting falsified bidding documents during the bid preparation process.

A representative from the West Sea Coast Guard Investigation Division stated, “This case clearly revealed the problem of abusing restrictive conditions that only allow specific companies to participate in the bidding process,” and added, “Since subsidy projects are conducted to stabilize the income of fishermen and fishing communities, we plan to expand the investigation as it appears that similar collusive acts by certain companies may exist.”