Fair Trade Commission approves Mirae Asset’s acquisition of Korbit and announces major cartel fines in succession
The Fair Trade Commission approved Mirae Asset’s acquisition of the virtual asset exchange Korbit. During the same period, the FTC successively approved a business combination and imposed cartel sanctions, including fines on SolidWorks distributors totaling 7 months 9 and fines on 8 companies 23 totaling 4 companies 7,476 in fines on starch and starch-sugar manufacturers.
The Fair Trade Commission approved Mirae Asset’s acquisition of the virtual asset exchange Korbit in 2026 year 7 month 9 day. This is an important decision from an investor’s perspective, as the transaction structure and whether the virtual asset business will be expanded may change.
The FTC said it determined that concerns about restrictions on competition were low as the background for its approval. No specific measures or conditions associated with the acquisition were mentioned within the publicly disclosed information.
During the same period, the FTC also imposed sanctions in a cartel case in the software distribution sector. It confirmed that 8 companies distributing SolidWorks had engaged in cartel conduct for 3 years and imposed total fines of 23.
The Fair Trade Commission also 7 month 7 companies that manufactured and sold starch and starch sweeteners 4 accused them of colluding on prices for more than 7 years and imposed fines totaling KRW 7,476 billion. Daesang and Samyang Corporation were among the companies subject to sanctions.
These announcements represent a case in which approval of a business combination and sanctions for large-scale price fixing were disclosed simultaneously. The Fair Trade Commission's review results and the amount of the fines will lead to legal and financial disclosures by the companies concerned.
Investors need to review each company's disclosures and the Fair Trade Commission's decision to assess the next steps and whether they will bear any related costs.