The Korea Fair Trade Commission said on the 15th that Kim Geun-seong, director general for adjudication management, was appointed as a standing commissioner, and Moon Jae-ho, head of the Cartel Investigation Bureau, was appointed as director general for investigation management. A standing commissioner decides the level of sanctions on corporations suspected of violating the law, and the director general for investigation management oversees all investigations by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC), including abuses of market dominance by collusive or monopolistic business operators.
Kim, the new standing commissioner, passed the 40th bar exam and entered public service in 2001. Kim served as director general for adjudication management, director general of market surveillance, director in charge of overall investigations, and director in charge of overall adjudications. While serving as director general for adjudication management, Kim raised the lower bound of the base rate for imposing a penalty surcharge and established rules to strengthen aggravating factors for business operators that repeatedly violated the law.
Moon, the new director general for investigation management, passed the 41st civil service exam and entered public service in 1998. Moon served as head of the Cartel Investigation Bureau, Spokesperson, director of distribution policy, and Director for Planning and Finance. While serving as head of the Cartel Investigation Bureau, Moon directed the handling of cases in areas closely tied to people's livelihoods, such as sugar and starch sugar.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said, "Kim, the new standing commissioner, demonstrated practical capabilities in handling major cases across the spectrum of competition law," adding, "Moon, the new director general for investigation management, is a fair trade expert with extensive work experience, having served across major case-handling and policy departments."