Liquor price rigging

B Kim Tae-jong

Despite the free trade agreement (FTA) between Korea and the European Union, premium whisky from the region is sold at prices 5 times higher than import prices, a consumer advocacy group said Sunday.

According to the latest survey by the National Council of the Green Consumers’ Networks (NCGCN), the average retail price of whisky imported from the Europeam Union per 100 milliliters is 13,501 won, well above the average import price including taxes of 2,664 won.

With support from the Fair Trade Commission, the consumer group conducted a survey last month to compare the prices of 74 different imported whiskies sold at department stores and liquor vendors. The results are available at the website of the Korean version of the Consumer Reports, known as Smart Consumer (www.smartconsumer.go.kr).

“The difference between the average retail and import price is 10,837 won, which is much higher than other imported goods here,” an official from the group said. “And