The small printing industry has expressed regret over the Fair Trade Commission's decision to exempt and reduce large fines for major printing paper manufacturers, announcing plans for legal action.
In a joint statement on July 20, the Korea Printing Cooperative Federation and other small printing businesses criticized the Fair Trade Commission for effectively granting a "get out of jail free card" to the paper industry's repeated price collusion.
They specifically pointed out that if the leniency program is misused to lessen the responsibility of habitual colluding companies, it could undermine the original purpose of deterring collusion and weaken fair market order.
Initially, the Fair Trade Commission imposed a fine of 338.3 billion won on the major printing paper companies for their price collusion, but the final amount was significantly reduced to 144.1 billion won due to the application of leniency. Hansol Paper had its entire fine of 142.5 billion won waived, while subsidiaries of Moolim received a reduction of 51.7 billion won.
The small printing industry also criticized the fact that the average selling price of printing paper increased by 71% during the collusion period from February 2021 to December 2024, placing a burden on both the printing and publishing sectors and ultimately on consumers.
They demanded that the Fair Trade Commission transparently disclose the legal basis, criteria for reductions, and the review process behind the fine reduction decision. They also called on the government to implement practical relief measures for struggling small printing businesses and urged the National Assembly and the Fair Trade Commission to comprehensively review the leniency program and amend the Fair Trade Act.
Park Jang-seon, president of the Korea Printing Cooperative Federation, stated, "We will continue all legal and institutional responses until fair market order is restored and the damages from collusion are addressed," adding, "We will stand in solidarity with the small printing industry nationwide and respond strongly."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.