Hyundai Kefico, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, has been caught illegally leaking technical data from its partner companies to external parties. The Fair Trade Commission reported that this action constitutes a violation of the Subcontracting Act and imposed a penalty surcharge and corrective order.
According to the Fair Trade Commission on the 23rd, Hyundai Kefico delivered five technical documents from partner company A, which was entrusted with parts development, to competitor company B without prior consultation in March 2023. The problematic documents were investigated to have been transmitted to company B, which was selected as a local supplier in Vietnam, after A rejected overseas joint ventures.
Separately, it was revealed that from May 2018 to July 2021, Hyundai Kefico requested and received four mold drawings from another partner company C without legitimate reasons. The drawings were found to have not been utilized immediately.
The Fair Trade Commission pointed out that providing technical data to a third party without consent is a violation of the Subcontracting Act, regardless of the circumstances. Additionally, the Fair Trade Commission determined that requesting technical data beyond the minimum necessary scope is also illegal.
Hyundai Kefico claimed, "There were partner companies that gave up overseas expansion, and the data was for simple reference," adding, "the data itself was merely internal forms, so the unfairness is weak," but this was not accepted.
The Fair Trade Commission stated that it decided not to pursue criminal charges after considering factors such as intent and the extent of damage comprehensively. However, 24 cases where relevant documents were not provided while requesting technical data and six cases of not signing non-disclosure agreements were additionally detected, leading to corrective orders.
Additionally, unfair provisions that imposed confidentiality obligations only on the contractors were confirmed in 19 contracts signed with three partner companies, leading to warning measures.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Kefico was previously fined 54 million won due to a contract issuance without a specified delivery date and unpaid delay interest.
Kim Hong-geun, head of the Technology Misuse Investigation Division at the Fair Trade Commission, noted, "We confirmed that the act of providing technical data to a third party constitutes a legal violation even if it is not aimed at maximizing the interests of the primary contractor," adding, "Considering the nature of the industry, receiving technical data in advance beyond the necessary scope also constitutes a violation of the law."