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 the total amount involved reaching nearly 10 trillion KRW (approximately 6.84 billion USD) [1] - Among the indicted, 20 executives from six monopolistic companies, including Daehan Flour Mill and Samyang, are accused of agreeing on flour price adjustments from January 2020 to October 2025, resulting in a maximum price increase of 42.4% over six years, amounting to about 5.99 trillion KRW (approximately 4.1 billion USD) [1] - CJ CheilJedang and Samyang are also charged with colluding to adjust sugar prices from February 2021 to April 2025, with sugar prices increasing by up to 66.7% during this period, involving around 3.27 trillion KRW (approximately 2.2 billion USD) [1] Group 2 - President Lee Jae-myung has called for more proactive measures to address rising prices of essential goods, leading to the initiation of the investigation by prosecutors [2] - South Korea's food prices are significantly higher than those in many developed countries, with an overall food price increase of 4.9% year-on-year as of August, the highest in over a year [2] - The OECD reports that South Korea's food and non-alcoholic beverage prices are 1.5 times the average of member countries, second only to Switzerland, indicating a high reliance on imports and low self-sufficiency in agricultural products [2] Group 3 - The long-term high circulation costs of agricultural products in South Korea have risen from 39% in 1999 to 49.7% in 2022, with some categories exceeding 60% [3] - Experts warn that persistent food inflation will increase the burden on low-income groups, with the lowest 20% of income earners spending 31% of their income on food, three times that of the highest 20% [3] - Recent reports highlighted exorbitant prices for basic food items, such as a watermelon costing 33,337 KRW (approximately 173 CNY) and a head of cabbage priced at 6,114 KRW (approximately 31.7 CNY) [3]