Sixty-five companies were implicated in additional price-fixing cases after already being caught by South Korea's Fair Trade Commission over the past seven years. Hansem appeared in 20 cases, while Hyundai Livart and Dongbang were each named in 18.
According to data on fines by respondent in illegal collusion cases, obtained from the FTC by Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's National Policy Committee, 65 companies were named in three or more separate price-fixing cases between 2020 and August this year. Park released the data on the 19th.
Hansem topped the list with 20 cases. Hyundai Livart and Dongbang followed with 18 each, trailed by Enex with 16, Nefs with 14 and CJ Logistics with 13. Emons Furniture was named in 12 cases, while Sebang and Hanjin each appeared in 11.
Furniture makers stood out for repeatedly appearing in collusion cases. With companies being named in further cases even after paying fines and facing other penalties, critics question whether current sanctions are doing enough to prevent recurrence.
The scale of fines imposed for collusion also rose sharply this year. Annual fines for illegal collusion totaled 219.3 billion won in 2024 and 263.6 billion won in 2025. In the first eight months of this year alone, fines reached 2.4576 trillion won, more than nine times last year's annual total.
The surge in total fines is attributed to a series of penalties imposed in large-scale collusion cases this year. Still, some argue that the deterrent effect of sanctions must be strengthened, given that companies continue to be implicated in repeated cases even as fine amounts grow.
The FTC is also pursuing changes to rationalize the level of leniency granted to repeat offenders under its self-reporting program. The program offers reduced fines and other benefits to companies that report collusion first or cooperate with investigations.
"The fact that a considerable number of companies are repeatedly named in collusion cases even after being fined means we need to reconsider whether current sanctions carry sufficient deterrent power," Park said. "The losses from being caught must clearly outweigh the gains from collusion." He added, "We must break this vicious cycle by making sanctions more effective, including heavier fines for repeat violations and limits on leniency for self-reporting."