On the 6th the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said it has sent investigation reports to 15 financial institutions suspected of coordinating bid yields in competitive government bond auctions totaling about KRW 76 tln and has opened a sanction review. The KFTC says firms exchanged information and coordinated bid rates between Jan 2020 and June 2023, characterising the behaviour as a serious legal breach that may have affected the government bond market and warning fines could reach KRW 15 tln

On the 6th the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said it has sent investigation reports to 15 financial institutions suspected of coordinating bid yields in competitive government bond auctions totaling about KRW 76 tln and has opened a sanction review. The KFTC says firms exchanged information and coordinated bid rates between Jan 2020 and June 2023, characterising the behaviour as a serious legal breach that may have affected the government bond market and warning fines could reach KRW 15 tln. The firms dispute the finding, arguing market‑making activities conducted within a government framework are being mischaracterised as collusion.