The Korea Fair Trade Commission (“KFTC”) announced the appointment, effective March 13, of Professor Taehee Hwang of Sungshin Women’s University’s School of Law and Associate Professor Hansoo Choi of Kyungpook National University’s School of Economics and Trade to serve as Non-Standing Commissioners of the KFTC for a tenure of three years. They will be replacing former Non-Standing Commissioners Sung-Jin Cho, whose term ended recently, and Giu Sung Oh, who resigned from his seat earlier this year.
Professor Hwang holds an LL.B. from Seoul National University College of Law and an LL.M. in economic law from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz School of Law in 2007. According to the KFTC’s press release announcing his appointment, Professor Hwang is an competition law expert and currently serves as the vice-chairman of the Korea Competition Law Association. He also has experience at the KFTC serving as an advisor to its Fair Trade Policy Advisory Group, and advisor for review of labeling and advertising, and at the Korea Fair Trade Mediation Agency (“KOFAIR”) as a mediator in its Fair Trade Dispute Mediation Council.
Professor Choi holds a B.A. in international economics from Seoul National University, and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pittsburgh. Before taking an associate professor position at Kyungpook National University in 2019, he was a research associate at the Korea Institute of Public Finance (“KIPF”). According to the press release announcing his appointment, Professor Choi is an applied microeconomics expert, who currently serves as directors of the Korean Economic Association and the Korean Society of Law and Economics, and has been an active member of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the Solidarity for Economic Reform for more than 18 years, conducting research on competition law and consumer protection.
As Non-Standing Commissioners of the KFTC, Professors Hwang and Choi are expected to make a significant contribution to the the KFTC’s decisions based on their in-depth understanding of the fair trade sector, extensive research experience, and experience as KFTC advisors.
