{
  "id": 16437566,
  "title": "Corporate watchdog chief calls for tougher penalties for obstructing investigations",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/corporate-watchdog-chief-calls-for-tougher-penalties-for-obstructing-16437566",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-25T06:07:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/20261025/corporate-watchdog-chief-calls-for-tougher-penalties-for-obstructing-investigations"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Korea Times reports that Korea's antitrust chief, Ju Biung-ghi, has called for more stringent penalties against companies that obstruct investigations. This call for change comes in the wake of a recent dispute involving e-commerce giant Coupang. Ju Biung-ghi, chair of the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), suggested that financial penalties equivalent to 1 percent of a company's total revenue could significantly enhance the watchdog's enforcement capabilities. In an interview with public broadcaster KBS, Ju emphasized that while the FTC's current investigative authority is adequate, the need for stiffer penalties against non-cooperative companies is critical. Currently, the Act on Fair Transactions in Large Retail Business only permits administrative fines, a limitation that Ju highlighted as a potential barrier to effective law enforcement.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Corporate watchdog chief calls for tougher penalties for obstructing investigations",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/25/corporate-watchdog-chief-calls-for-tougher-penalties-for-obstructing-16436733",
        "published": "2026-10-25T05:08:45.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}