The Korea Fair Trade Commission (“KFTC”) announced the appointment, effective as of November 29, 2025, of Mr. Dong-yeol Shin, the current Director General of the Competition Policy Bureau, as the new Secretary General for Policy, and of Mr. Seong-uk Yu, the current Secretary General for Policy, as the new Secretary General for Investigation.
Mr. Shin, the new Secretary General for Policy, holds a B.A. in economics from Seoul National University and an M.A. in economics from the University of North Carolina. Since joining public service in 1998, Mr. Shin has served in various capacities at the KFTC, including Director of the Consumer Policy Division, Director of the Competition Policy Division, Director General of the Cartel Investigation Bureau, and most recently, Director General of the Competition Policy Bureau. In 2011, he was seconded for a year to the Office of the President, and starting in 2013, he spent three years on secondment to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
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As Director General of the Competition Policy Bureau, Mr. Shin led the effort to establish and implement the KFTC’s fair trade policies in accordance with the current administration’s philosophy and vision regarding state affairs: creating a platform ecosystem that prevents unfair practices by platform operators, and overhauling the fair trade dispute settlement system to swiftly block unfair and illegal acts and expand effective damage relief. |
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Mr. Shin has extensive experience handling major cases in all areas of competition law and has demonstrated practical capabilities in legal theory and enforcement: earlier in his career, he served as Director of the E-Commerce Division, Director of the Public Disclosure Division, Director of the Distribution Transaction Division, and Director for Deliberation Management (Competition). |
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Also known for his expertise regarding the KFTC’s competition and consumer policies, Mr. Shin is expected to play a key role in the KFTC’s policy in pursuing national agendas and responding to various pending issues. |
Mr. Yu, the new Secretary General for Investigation, holds an LL.B. from Seoul National University College of Law and an LL.M. from Fordham University School of Law. Since joining public service in 1996, Mr. Yu served in various capacities at the KFTC, including Distribution Policy Officer, Director General of the Anti-Monopoly Investigation Bureau, Director General of the Business Group Monitoring Bureau, a Standing Commissioner, and most recently, Secretary General for Policy. Between 2007 and 2008, Mr. Yu was seconded to a U.S. law firm as part of the KFTC’s external training program, and in 2015, he was seconded to serve for a year at the Supreme Court of Korea. Mr. Yu is also a member of the New York bar.
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Under his leadership as Director General of the Anti-Monopoly Investigation Bureau, the KFTC imposed sanctions on a number of large business groups for undermining the fair trade order in the market to maintain and strengthen control of specially-related parties and using expedient means to ensure succession of management within the owner family, such as through provision of unfair support to affiliates. |
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As Director General of the Anti-Monopoly Investigation Bureau, Mr. Yu is recognized for his contribution to promoting competition in monopolized markets by establishing a new set of guidelines for reviewing abuse of market dominance by online platform operators. |
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According to the press release announcing his appointment, Mr. Yu, a fair trade expert who was involved in various major cases and decision-making departments (including as Director of the Cartel Management Division, and Director of the Construction Industry Subcontracting Improvement Division), is expected to help improve the credibility of the KFTC’s case handling capacity as Secretary General for Investigation who oversees all cases processed by the KFTC. |
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