This article was displayed on the ChosunBiz RM Report site at 1:49 p.m. on Mar. 26, 2026.
With the abolition of the Prosecution Service set for October and disorder inside and outside the organization, a unit with only seven prosecutors is simultaneously targeting dozens of major corporations in refining, platforms, and food. There is an assessment that the center of major corporate cases, once handled by the special investigations unit, is shifting to the Fair Trade Investigation Department (FTID) of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
On the 26th, according to legal sources, the FTID of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office conducted searches and seizures over three days from the 23rd to the 25th at four refiners—SK Energy, GS Caltex, S-Oil, and HD Hyundai Oilbank—and the Korea Petroleum Association (KPA). Detecting indications of collusion on oil prices, it launched a compulsory investigation. As it targets the industry at large, the repercussions are expected to be significant.
President Lee Jae-myung publicly praised the prosecution for the investigation. At a Cabinet meeting the previous day, Lee said, "The prosecution conducted the collusion probe swiftly and on a large scale," and added, "Give the investigation team an award, if nothing else." On Feb. 2, as major corporations were brought to trial one after another over collusion in power equipment and flour and sugar prices, Lee said, "This is a big achievement. I hope people will give credit where it's due."
Currently, within the prosecution, the only department exclusively investigating collusion cases is the FTID of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. The department was launched in 2015 as the Fair Trade and Taxes Investigation Department, and its first Director General was Han Dong-hoon, former People Power Party leader. In 2017, during Yoon Suk-yeol's tenure as chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, the tax crimes investigation unit was separated, establishing the current structure.
The FTID currently has seven prosecutors, including Director General Na Hee-seok. The number of corporations they are scrutinizing simultaneously reaches dozens. In addition to the four refiners suspected of collusion, Yanolja and Good Choice are under investigation on suspicion of abusing their superior transaction positions, and CJ CheilJedang, Daesang, Samyang, and Sajo CPK are currently investigating over alleged collusion in starch sugar.
Within the prosecution, the FTID is considered one of the few departments that conducts "initiative-based investigations." A single department handles the entire corporate investigation process, from executing search and seizure warrants, analyzing corporate decision-making structures, and tracing inter-affiliate transactions to reviewing Korea Fair Trade Commission materials. A prosecutor at a financial and securities prosecutors' office said, "In the past, there were so many applicants that the Director General selected them through interviews," adding, "It is a place where you can systematically learn corporate investigations."
Internally, some say the FTID is effectively taking over the role of the former special investigations unit. Whereas the special investigations or anti-corruption investigation divisions used to lead major corporate cases, recently the FTID has been at the forefront, focusing on collusion and market order disruption cases.
A legal source said, "As economic cases become increasingly complex, the role of a dedicated department with expertise is growing." Although the prosecution is entering a phase of downsizing, there is also analysis that the FTID's role is actually expanding.
However, ahead of the launch in October of the "CICIA" (Criminal Investigation Agency for Serious Crimes), there are considerable concerns. The reason is uncertainty over whether the long-accumulated know-how in corporate investigations will transfer smoothly to the new organization. A fair trade specialist at a major law firm said, "It won't be easy to transplant the expertise and experience the prosecution has built up in a short period," adding, "Ultimately, seasoned personnel are the key, and it is unclear how many will move to the new organization."