KFTC's "Grim Reaper of the Business World" Investigation Bureau Set for Revival After 21 Years... Organizational Restructuring Planned for Second Half

Restoration Planned 21 Years After Its Abolition in 2005

Concurrent Push for Establishing Economic Analysis Bureau to Enhance Case Handling Expertise

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) is moving to revive the Investigation Bureau, which was once exclusively responsible for investigating unfair practices by large conglomerates and was dubbed the "grim reaper of the business world." This marks its effective return after 21 years since its abolition in 2005.

According to the government on May 13, the KFTC is in discussions with relevant ministries to upgrade the current Focused Investigation Team, which operates under the Investigation Division and consists of seven members, to a full Investigation Bureau with a staff of 30 to 40 as part of an organizational restructuring planned for the second half of this year. The Focused Investigation Team was established in 2024 to expedite the handling of major cases, but has faced criticism for its limited ability to respond to large-scale incidents due to a lack of manpower.

Since its establishment in 1996, the Investigation Bureau played a leading role in investigating unfair internal transactions such as favoritism among affiliates of large conglomerates, and wielded considerable power. However, it was abolished at the end of 2005 amid criticism from the business community that it was stifling corporate activities. Later, during the Moon Jae-in administration, the establishment of the Corporate Group Bureau partially revived some functions, but with the upcoming reorganization, the KFTC is expected to restore an independent bureau capable of conducting wide-ranging ex officio investigations.

If the Investigation Bureau is reestablished, its role in planning and conducting comprehensive investigations—rather than just focusing on specific suspicions—will be greatly strengthened. The KFTC is also considering the concurrent creation of an "Economic Analysis Bureau" to support case handling. This year, the KFTC has already increased its headcount by 167 and plans to hire approximately 200 more staff members next year.

The KFTC stated, "We are working to increase personnel to strengthen our ability to process major public cases swiftly and enhance law enforcement capabilities," adding, "The scale and functions of the additional personnel are still under discussion with relevant ministries and have not yet been finalized."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.