- Introduction and Examples of Market Research Utilized by the KFTC -
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (hereafter referred to as 'KFTC') will be attending the 19th East Asia Top Official’s Meeting on Competition (hereafter referred to as 'EATOP') and the 16th East Asia Conference on Competition Law and Policy (hereafter referred to as 'EAC') in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from July 23 (Tuesday) to July 24 (Wednesday), with Kim Jeongki, the Standing Commissioner (hereafter referred to as 'Commissioner Kim'), serving as the head representative.
- EATOP (East Asia Top Official’s Meeting on Competition Policy): A high-level meeting of 18 competition authorities in East Asia that has been held since 2005, aimed at enhancing competition law enforcement capabilities and regional cooperation by sharing experiences in introducing and enforcing competition laws.
- EAC (East Asia Conference on Competition Law and Policy): A conference held in conjunction with EATOP, attended by a variety of experts including those from academia and the legal sector, as well as competition authorities.
This 19th EATOP will particularly focus on topics such as 'Digital Economy - Lessons from Market Analysis and Competition Advocacy (Session 1)', 'Improvement and Development Cases of Regional Competition Laws (Session 2)', 'Best Practices in Merger Control - Investigation Techniques and Remedies (Session 3)', and 'Planning and Conducting Market Research (Session 4)'. High-level officials from various Asian competition authorities, including Australia, Japan, and Singapore, will participate as presenters to share insights on addressing monopolistic issues in the digital economy and considerations during merger reviews.
- (Australia) Peter Crone, Commissioner of the Competition and Consumer Commission, (Japan) Reiko Aoki, Commissioner of the Japan Fair Trade Commission, (Singapore) Alvin Koh, Commissioner of the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore.
Commissioner Kim will participate as a presenter in the 4th session of EATOP on July 23 (Tuesday) to introduce representative market research conducted by the KFTC, discuss the utilization of research results, and propose effective market research methods.
Specifically, Commissioner Kim will emphasize the importance of competition authorities accurately understanding markets through research not only to sanction anti-competitive behaviors but also to proactively address potential competition issues. He will introduce market research cases recently conducted by the KFTC in emerging markets such as semiconductors and cloud services and explain how the results are being utilized.
Additionally, Commissioner Kim will highlight effective market research methods by showcasing examples of collaboration and coordination among internal and external experts of the KFTC. This collaboration serves as an efficient means for competition authorities to overcome limitations in internal resources and expertise and to enhance their enforcement capabilities.
The KFTC expects that attending this EATOP meeting will allow it to verify recent competition law enforcement and policy trends of various East Asian competition authorities. By taking a leading role in discussions related to market research planning and conduct, the KFTC aims to enhance its international stature. Furthermore, the KFTC plans to solidify intra-regional cooperation frameworks with East Asian competition authorities during the conference.