Fair Trade Commission Warns Noryangjin Market Retailers to Block Fish Sashimi at Auction House

A retail store in Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul was warned by the Fair Trade Commission after forcing its members not to sashimi fish that consumers bought wholesale at auction houses.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission's Seoul office issued a warning on the 5th after judging that a merchant association at Noryangjin Fisheries Market in Seoul violated the Fair Trade Act.

As the method of buying live fish at auction and eating raw fish at a retail store spread among consumers, members received a memorandum from them not to open raw fish except for their own items and not to trade with matchmakers who sell them individually.

However, the collusion actually fizzled out as consumers angry about collusion turned to other stores belonging to the Sangwoo Association and there was also opposition from within the Sangwoo Association.

The Fair Trade Commission judged that the act of the meeting was illegal as it constituted a ban on business groups under the Fair Trade Act, but concluded with a warning disposition in consideration of the fact that it stopped acting on its own.

A FTC official said that if something similar happens in the future, it can be investigated again and sanctioned.