Since 2001, Korea has introduced and operated the Antitrust Compliance Program(CP). Although CP is not legally enforced, it could proactively identify and monitor violations of competition laws to prevent damage caused by them. In addition, effective ...
Since 2001, Korea has introduced and operated the Antitrust Compliance Program(CP). Although CP is not legally enforced, it could proactively identify and monitor violations of competition laws to prevent damage caused by them. In addition, effective CPs can detect and terminate competition law violations early, preventing further damage to the market and consumers, and increasing brand value by being considered an ethical company. However, as the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has not actively used the system as a means of implementing the competition law and abolished the incentive system, such as reducing the penalty for CP, the number of CP adopters is gradually decreasing. In particular, at the level of the National Assembly, discussions have begun on measures to revitalize the system and readjust related laws as a means to spread CP. Therefore, in this paper, the following improvement measures were proposed.
Firstly, we should encourage the introduction of the CP by incentive systems, rather than force the introduction of the CP by law. Companies have a high risk of establishing or operating mock programs if they are legally forced to do so because it costs a lot of money to introduce effective CP. Although the law does not enforce the introduction, stipulating it in the law for the basis for the inducement of enforcement or policy support, and stipulating the specific details thereof in guidelines, etc. will help promote the company’s CP.
Secondly, the introduction and operation of CP should be included in the calculation of the current administrative fine as the reason for the reduction. This can lead to the investment of corporate resources. However, companies must demonstrate their CP effectiveness, but KFTC can refer to the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division's CP Evaluation Guidelines for effectiveness verification. In particular, even an business involved in collusion shall be recognized for its inducement if it has an effective CP. Strict sanctions on collusion and limited investigative personnel from the KFTC make corporate collusion more covertly, making leniency more difficult. Therefore, the incentive of companies involved in collusion can be an incentive for the company to strengthen the self monitoring activities of its employees and to promote leniency. Courts should also set up a system of inducement for CP as a means of reducing the punishment. This could facilitate companies to build various compliance programs.
Thirdly, KFTC should include the establishment and operation of effective CP as the contents of the consent order. The biggest advantage of the consent order is to seek the most appropriate corrective action plan through cooperation with companies. Therefore, if the contents of the consent order include the establishment of an effective CP, the company will invest a lot of resources in establishing an effective it.
Fourthly, it is necessary to institutionalize the designation of independent compliance monitors to ensure the effectiveness of consent orders or corrective actions. The designated compliance monitors conduct commitments of the company under the consent order on behalf of the government, such as investigating compliance operations within the company and reporting the results of implementation to competing authorities. Through this, the government's responsibility for monitoring will be passed on to companies to prevent recurrence and secure the effectiveness of their execution.
Lastly, it is to stipulate the Attorney-Client Privilege(or Legal Professional Privilege) between the client and the attorney during the competition law enforcement phase. For effective operation of the CP, the company has an whistle-blowing system and regularly conducts legal consultation and audit through law firms as well as its own audit activities. However, documents related to such activities are likely to be used as important evidence in determining whether a company is legally responsible through the KFTC's indiscriminate request for documents and on-site inspections. Therefore, it is necessary to restrict the KFTC's right to investigate related documents and other documents in order to promote compliances of companies and revitalize CP.