Korea's antitrust regulator said Friday it has removed 16 firms from its watch list that limits mutual investments and loan guarantees.
The Fair Trade Commission said the number of companies on the list stood at 1,831, down from 1,847 tallied in the previous month. They are affiliated with the country's 63 business groups.
Five affiliates were newly added to the list, but a total of 21 firms were excluded through stake sales or mergers and acquisitions, the watchdog noted.
Under Korea's fair trade law, affiliates of large business groups with assets of 5 trillion won (US$4.57 billion) or more are restricted from making equity investments in or offering loan guarantees to one another.