Korea Fair Trade Commission

Seoul court stays Korean antitrust price-reset order against Moorim and peers

The Seoul High Court has suspended enforcement of the Korea Fair Trade Commission's order that six Korean printing-paper makers reset their prices independently, granting stays to four of them: Moorim SP, Moorim Paper, Moorim P&P and Korea Paper. The stays run until 30 days after the first-instance judgment in the companies' main lawsuits. The KFTC fined the six a combined KRW 338.3bn (USD 250m) in April 2026 over alleged coordinated price rises and discount cuts between February 2021 and December 2024, and says it will appeal.

Why this mattersA stayed price-reset order lets affected mills keep current pricing pending litigation, reducing near-term uncertainty over Korean printing-paper pricing.

• Seoul High Court granted execution stays to Moorim SP, Moorim Paper and Moorim P&P on 28 August 2026; Korea Paper's application was granted separately
• The stays run until 30 days after the first-instance ruling in the main proceedings
• Four of the six sanctioned paper companies have now had the price re-determination order suspended
• The KFTC's April 2026 decision fined Moorim SP, Moorim Paper, Moorim P&P, Korea Paper, Hansol Paper and Hongwon Paper a combined KRW 338.3bn (USD 250m), alleging more than 60 meetings between February 2021 and December 2024
• The price re-determination order was only the second in KFTC history, after the April 2006 flour-cartel case
• The KFTC said it will appeal the stay rulings and defend the legality of its order in the main proceedings

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