Lee & Ko's antitrust and competition group said it will hold a "latest trends and case law in fair trade" seminar on the 15th. The seminar will be held both online and offline.
The seminar will examine recent enforcement directions of the Korea Fair Trade Commission and trends in court precedents from the perspective of corporate practice. Since 2014, Lee & Ko's antitrust and competition group has hosted seminars analyzing major fair trade precedents.
In the first session, senior expert advisor Lee Soong-gyu of Lee & Ko, who previously served as head of the cartel division at the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC), will explain the commission's recent policy and enforcement trends. Focusing on areas the commission is prioritizing—such as joint growth between large and small corporations and unfair practices in sectors closely tied to people's livelihoods—Lee will address response strategies for corporations.
The second session will focus on franchise transactions. Attorney Choi Jeong-yun of Lee & Ko (1st bar exam) will introduce the government's plan to rationalize economic criminal penalties, the proposed revisions to the Enforcement Decree of the Franchise Business Act and the penalty surcharge notice, and cases of penalty surcharge imposition in the restaurant sector. The Supreme Court rulings in the Pizza Hut case and the Mom's Touch case will also be analyzed. The session will also cover litigation response strategies related to differential franchise fees.
In the final session, attorney Jeong Byeong-gi of Lee & Ko (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 38) will summarize major Fair Trade Act precedents from the second half of 2025 and the first half of 2026. These include the Naver Shopping ruling on platform operators' self-preferencing conduct, the Supreme Court decision recognizing the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC)'s authority to sanction joint conduct by shipping companies, and the Supreme Court decision finding that so-called "swarm bidding" cannot be categorically deemed an unfair support act.
The seminar will begin with opening remarks by attorney Sun Jeong-ho of Lee & Ko (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 37). Jeong Hwan, head of Lee & Ko's antitrust and competition group (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 24), said, "We hope this will be an opportunity to examine the significance of the recent policy direction of the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and key court judgments."
Lee & Ko's antitrust and competition group is composed of about 70 attorneys, economists, and fair trade experts. It handles fair trade advisory work, responses to investigations, and litigation.