[2026 Parliamentary Audit] "Delete 'Chairman' and 'DK' Keywords"... Joo Byung-kee on Advance Leak Controversy: "Reviewing Efforts to Identify the Source"

An "order to delete documents" surfaced on the internal network five days before the on-site inspection
Leak throws cold water on legislation to tighten safeguards... Kim Hyungyeon: "The rationale for the legislation is being undermined"

Allegations that information about an on-site inspection by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) was leaked in advance were raised during a parliamentary audit. The FTC also acknowledged the leak and said it would take strict action against obstruction of its investigation.

Fair Trade Commission Chair Joo Byung-ki answers lawmakers' questions during a comprehensive parliamentary audit of the Office for Government Policy Coordination and other agencies at the National Assembly on Oct. 21, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju

At a comprehensive audit by the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee on Oct. 21, Rep. Kim Hyungyeon of the Rebuilding Korea Party pressed FTC Chair Joo Byung-kee over allegations that information about an on-site inspection of Hanwha Group had been leaked in advance. Rep. Kim pointed to lax information security, asking, "Aren't the subjects and direction of an investigation shared only among the relevant departments within the FTC?" He particularly criticized the fact that if investigation information were to leak to companies in advance, even the justification for legislation would disappear. The legislation is being pursued to strengthen legal provisions barring advance notice of FTC on-site inspections, following recent incidents such as Coupang's refusal to cooperate with an investigation. Rep. Kim also strongly urged disciplinary action against those who obstruct investigations and a thorough internal investigation to identify the source of the leak.

In June, the FTC conducted surprise on-site inspections of Hanwha Corporation and three of its affiliates to determine whether trademark licensing fees collected by the group's holding company were appropriate and whether there had been unfair support. However, reports emerged that five days before the inspection, some employees in Hanwha's finance department had received instructions via internal email to delete related documents, with specific keywords mentioned, including "unfair support," "chairman" and "DK," referring to Vice Chairman Kim Dongkwan. The emails containing the instructions had already been deleted by the time inspectors arrived, but the instructions reportedly came to light when the FTC restored electronic data through digital forensics.

Regarding the reports that Hanwha Group had instructed employees to delete documents, Chair Joo said, "We have already confirmed all of that." Asked by Rep. Kim whether the FTC was trying to identify the source of the internal leak, he replied, "We are looking into that as well, and we are also taking action against companies that obstruct investigations."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.