South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) imposed collusion-related corporate fines more than triple the total for all of 2025 in the first quarter, data showed. According to corporate tracker CEO Score, the January-March fines reached 689.1 billion won ($456 million). These accounted for 97.5 percent of total corporate fines of 707 billion won.
Industry data compiled by corporate tracker CEO Score showed that the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) levied 689.1 billion won ($456 million) in fines on companies involved in collusion during the January-March period. This quarterly total far exceeded the 218.9 billion won recorded for all of 2025. Overall corporate fines reached 707 billion won, doubling the 354.7 billion won for the previous year.
In February, the FTC imposed a combined 408.3 billion won in fines on CJ CheilJedang Corp. and two other domestic sugar manufacturers for collusion in business-to-business (B2B) sugar pricing over a four-year period through April 2025. The regulator also fined the country's four major lenders, including KB Kookmin Bank and Hana Bank, a total of 272 billion won for collusion involving information sharing.
Annual fines are expected to rise further as recently revised, stricter standards on unfair market practices take effect under the new administration of President Lee Jae Myung. Collusion-related penalties made up 97.5 percent of the first-quarter total.
