韩国三大糖商因操纵价格被罚款4083亿韩元

Core Viewpoint - South Korea's antitrust regulator has imposed a total fine of 408.3 billion KRW (approximately 283.9 million USD) on three major sugar producers for price manipulation [1][3]. Group 1: Companies Involved - The companies fined include CJ CheilJedang, Samyang Foods, and Daehan Flour Mills, which were found to have manipulated sugar prices eight times between February 2021 and April 2025 [1][3]. - These companies collectively generated sales of 3.29 trillion KRW during the aforementioned period through collusion [4]. Group 2: Regulatory Actions and Implications - This fine is the second-highest ever imposed for a single price manipulation case in South Korea and the highest fine against an individual company [5]. - The chairman of the Korea Fair Trade Commission, Ju Biung-ghi, stated that the high entry barriers in the sugar industry allow refining companies to collude for profit stability [5]. - As of 2024, these three companies hold approximately 89% of the market share in the sugar industry [5]. - The regulator noted that these companies coordinated on the timing and extent of price increases to quickly reflect rising raw material costs when international sugar prices increased [5]. - They also pressured food and beverage companies that resisted price hikes and agreed to delay price reductions or reduce them less than the decline in raw material costs when global raw sugar prices fell [5]. - This is not the first time these sugar refining companies have been fined for colluding to manipulate prices, as they had a similar incident in 2007 [5].