糖、面粉等食品涨价太猛、价格太贵，韩国政府动手了！至少2名企业高管被拘，52名高管遭起诉

Group 1 - The South Korean Central District Prosecutors' Office has indicted 52 executives from 12 companies for manipulating food prices and colluding in power equipment bidding, with a total amount involved of nearly 10 trillion KRW (approximately 6.84 billion USD) [1][3] - The prosecution has filed non-custodial indictments against 20 executives from six monopolistic companies, including Daehan Flour Mills and Samyang, for agreeing on flour price adjustments between January 2020 and October 2025, resulting in a maximum price increase of 42.4% over six years, amounting to approximately 5.99 trillion KRW (around 4.1 billion USD) [3] - CJ CheilJedang and Samyang are accused of colluding to adjust sugar prices from February 2021 to April 2025, with a maximum price increase of 66.7% during this period, involving around 3.27 trillion KRW (approximately 2.2 billion USD) [3] Group 2 - President Lee Jae-myung stated that the prosecution's actions have achieved significant results and has instructed the government to strengthen regulations against price manipulation, including increasing legal penalties and recovering illicit gains [3][5] - The overall food prices in South Korea have risen significantly, with a year-on-year increase of 4.9% in August, marking the highest level in over a year [5][6] - South Korea's food price levels are 1.5 times higher than the OECD average, with Seoul ranking 8th globally in food prices, indicating a high reliance on imports and low self-sufficiency in agricultural products [5][6]