The Korea Fair Trade Commission (the “KFTC”) appointed, effective on May 18, 2026, Mr. Geun-seong Kim, the current General Counsel, as one of three Standing Commissioners of the KFTC for a term of three years, and of Mr. Jae-ho Mun, the current Director General of the Cartel Investigation Bureau, as the new Secretary General for Investigation.
 

1. New Standing Commissioner

Mr. Kim holds an LL.B. from Korea University School of Law and a master’s degree in international development policy from Duke University. Mr. Kim, a Korea-licensed attorney, joined public service in 2001 and served in various capacities at the KFTC, including Director of the E-commerce Transactions Division, Director of the Installment Transactions Division, Director of the Cartel Investigation Division, Director of the Unfair Support Division, Director of the Intra-group Transaction Division, Director for Litigation, Director for Deliberation Management, Director for General Investigation, Director General of the Anti-Monopoly Investigation Bureau, and most recently, General Counsel.

In announcing his appointment, the KFTC noted that Mr. Kim, as General Counsel, enhanced the effectiveness of the KFTC’s economic sanctions by significantly raising the lower bound of the administrative fine calculation base rates, and strengthening the aggravation rate for repeat offenders. As Director for Deliberation Management, he spearheaded the effort to amend the Rules on KFTC’s Committee Operation and Case Handling Procedure, which expanded summary procedure to encompass small-amount administrative fine cases, and introduced regulations for government agencies to submit written opinions during KFTC hearings, thereby securing the legitimacy of the KFTC’s decision-making process. Throughout his career at the KFTC, Mr. Kim has demonstrated his legal expertise and practical capabilities in handling major cases across different fields of competition law, including cartel and consumer-related cases.
 

2. New Secretary General for Investigation
 

Mr. Mun holds a B.A. in a public administration from Korea University and an LL.M. from Syracuse University College of Law. Mr. Mun joined public service in 1998 and served in various capacities at the KFTC, including Director of the International Cooperation Division, Director for Public Relations, Director of the Distribution Transactions Division, Director of the Market Structure Policy Division, Director of the General Cartel Division, Director for Planning & Budget, Director for Distribution Policy, Spokesperson, and most recently, Director General of the Cartel Investigation Bureau.

In announcing his appointment, the KFTC noted that Mr. Mun, as Director General of the Cartel Investigation Bureau, has enhanced stability in sectors closely related to the livelihoods of ordinary citizens by swiftly processing cartel cases involving food, clothing, shelter, and daily necessities, and helped promote the healthy development of the national economy by detecting and preventing recurrence of unfair trade practices. As Director for Distribution Policy, Mr. Mun contributed to the prompt resolution of damages in franchise, large-scale retail and third-party distribution transactions and facilitated companies’ voluntary improvement of trade practices, thereby shortening the investigation and case handling period for antitrust law violations.