A Guide to Korean Antitrust Law

Abstract

Korean antitrust law is embodied in the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act (MRFTA" or the Act), and the scope of the Act extends to a variety of topics including fair trade, antitrust, competition,

consumer protection, and deregulation. Accordingly, it can be stated that the Act embodies a broader regulatory scope than of similar legislation in countries such as the United States. The official website of the relevant governmental authority (in this case the Korea Fair Trade Commission

(http://www.ftc.go.kr/)) should be among the first resources consulted when commencing research on such a specialized subject as Korean antitrust law. In addition, the government portal site found at

http://www.egov.go.kr/ offers significant assistance in locating relevant official information resources.

Moreover, currently in Korea, most civil servants who are entrusted with administration of antitrust regulations are not lawyers but rather specialists in economics or policymaking. Therefore, it is important to encompass not only legal and administrative materials, but also economic materials when studying Korean antitrust law.