The intersection of data and competition is emerging as the next frontier of antitrust enforcement. Major competition authorities around the world are investing in ensuring fair competition in the data economy sector, and in line with this trend, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (“KFTC”) has announced its plan to publish a policy report on promoting competition and consumer protection in the data sector (e.g., measures to strengthen interoperability of data collection and transfer), as part of its key initiatives for 2025.

On February 27, 2025, the KFTC commissioned a research study on the ways in which data accumulation affects market competition. According to the KFTC’s task instructions issued for this study, the KFTC plans to conduct a market survey on the competitive landscape related to data. Based on the survey findings, the KFTC is expected to identify and analyze potential competition and consumer issues, and review countermeasures and response strategies. The process of selecting a team of researchers for this study is currently underway. We expect that the KFTC will commence the survey shortly after the selection process is finalized and the researchers determine the subject and topics for the survey.