By Park Si-soo
The anti-trust regulator is intensifying pressure on giant conglomerates to deal fairly with subcontractors and other small businesses.
Kim Dong-soo, chairman of the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), said Wednesday that the FTC will disclose fact sheets demonstrating dozens of conglomerates’ stock ownership, liabilities and inter-subsidy dealings by August.
Kim said 51 conglomerates banned from doing cross-investment among affiliates will be subject to the announcement which he said is to “strengthen the FTC’s monitoring to secure more transparent corporate management.”
Information regarding stock ownerships of 51 firms will be announced in June, with one regarding liabilities in July and inter-subsidy dealings in August, he said.
“We need to have a stronger monitoring system on conglomerates to make their management more transparent,” Kim told reporters at a Seoul hotel where he spoke at a forum. “We will tell what big companies in phases to those involved in their business.”
Kim Hyung-bae, FTC spokesman, said as of late April, 63 conglomerates were banned from doing cross-investment among affiliates, but the FTC will focus on 51, excluding 12 state-funded firms.
Kim’s remarks came only one week after the Commission on Shared Growth for Large and Small Companies (CSG) announced a list of best and worst companies in terms of business attitude toward domestic suppliers and subcontractors.
Six companies, including Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, Samsung Electronics and POSCO, got the highest scores in the CSG’s assessment, while seven firms, including LG Uplus, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, STX Offshore, were categorized as “underachievers.”
The FTC and the CSG are key entities playing a pivotal role in pushing forward President Lee’s co-prosperity policy. Kim said the FTC will look into all inter-subsidy dealings, each worth 5 billion won ($4.29 million) or more, to check whether they were done in a fair and transparent manner.
“We will continue to provide detailed information about this (inter-subsidy dealings), enabling small firms to know their counterparts’ business practices,” he said.
Asked about the FTC’s alleged pressure on large retailers to open new sections that exclusively sell products from small and medium-sized manufacturers, he said “this is a matter that should be resolved voluntarily between retailers and small manufacturers.”
The alleged intervention, surfaced last week through news reports, stirred controversy and provoked retail giants. Critics say the anti-trust regulator is abusing its power and the scheme will run counter to free-market principle, of which the FTC exists to uphold.

공정위 대기업 감시 강화해 일감 몰아주기 차단
공정거래위원회가 경쟁입찰 자율선언 대상 기업집단을 대폭 확대하고 지분구조, 채무현황 등을 내달 공개하는 등 대기업에 대한 사회적 감시를 강화한다.
김동수 공정위원장은 16일 중구 명동 세종호텔에서 열린 세종연구원 초청 포럼에서 "현재 30개인 경쟁입찰 자율선언 대상 대기업집단을 51개로 확대하겠다"고 말했다.
이는 자산규모 5조 원 이상인 63개 상호출자제한기업집단(대기업) 중 공기업집단 12개를 제외한 민간기업집단 전체로 경쟁입찰 자율선언을 유도해 일감 몰아주기 관행을 차단하겠다는 의지다.
6월 주식소유 현황 공개를 시작으로 7월 채무현황, 8월 내부거래현황 등 대기업 정보를 차례로 알리기로 했다. 대기업에 대한 사회적 감시망을 강화하려는 조치다.
동반성장지수 평가 기준과 관련해서는 "등급을 나눠 발표하다 보니 등급이 낮은 기업들의 불만이 적지 않다"며 "정확하고 공정한 평가를 위해 업계 의견 수렴 과정을 거쳐 평가기준을 현재 2개 업종에서 3~4개 업종으로 세분화하겠다"고 말했다.
이달 피자ㆍ치킨업계에 이어 3분기에는 자동차 정비업, 커피전문점, 편의점 등의 모범거래기준을 만들어 보급할 뜻도 밝혔다.
상조업체들이 선수금 보전 비율을 제대로 지키는지 전수조사를 하기로 했다. 부실 업체의 퇴출을 예고하는 대목이다.
상조업체 선수금 보전비율을 지난해 20%, 올해 30%에 이어 내년 40%까지 끌어올린다는 방침이다.
김 위원장은 합리적 소비를 유도하고 기업 간 경쟁을 촉진하기 위해 이달 전기 주전자·젖병, 다음 달 건전지·테이크아웃 커피 등 소비자 관심이 높은 품목을 우선하여 선정해 K-컨슈머리포트를 제공하겠다"고 약속했다. (연합뉴스)