[Edaily Reporter SHIN MIN JOON ] Tension is mounting as officials from major companies in the retail and food industries are being summoned as witnesses ahead of next week’s parliamentary audit. Key industry issues—including personal data protection on online platforms, Homeplus’s corporate rehabilitation, and price-fixing among food ingredient suppliers—are expected to come under the spotlight once again during this audit.

According to political circles on the 2nd, the National Assembly’s oversight hearings are scheduled to take place over three weeks, from the 6th to the 27th. Key issues facing the retail and food industries are set to be addressed by several committees, including the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee; the Government Affairs Committee; the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans, and Fisheries Committee; and the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee.

In the retail sector, personal data breaches and the Homeplus crisis are expected to be major points of contention. The Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee has summoned Brett Mattis, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Coupang, and Kim Jeong-hoon, CISO of Woowa Brothers, as witnesses to investigate personal data breaches. Coupang is expected to face questions regarding the leak of personal information affecting 37.5 million people last year, while Woowa Brothers is expected to be questioned about an incident last March in which an outsourced customer service provider accessed and leaked customer personal information.

Coupang was fined 624.681 billion won by the Personal Information Protection Commission in late November of last year due to a personal information leak. In particular, Coupang faced a series of setbacks, including the data breach, controversy over its refusal to cooperate with an on-site investigation by the Fair Trade Commission, and a fire at its Incheon logistics center.

Since the National Policy Committee has summoned Coupang Executive Vice President Joo Seong-won as a witness, the issues of refusing the Fair Trade Commission’s investigation and allegations of unfair trade practices are expected to be addressed. The Trade, Industry, and Energy Committee will summon Kim Byung-ju, Chairman of MBK Partners, to question him on corporate restructuring and his responsibility for mismanagement.

In the food industry, price-fixing is emerging as a key issue. This follows a series of price-fixing cases involving sugar, flour, starch, and starch syrup that have been uncovered since the beginning of the year. The Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, and Fisheries Committee plans to summon Jo Young-sik, Vice President of CJ CheilJedang Corp.; Lee Woon-ik, CEO of Samyang Corporation; and Park Yoon-ki, CEO of LotteChilsungBeverage, as witnesses to question them about the price-setting process and the circumstances surrounding the collusion.

Previously, the Fair Trade Commission imposed fines totaling 408.3 billion won on three companies involved in the sugar price-fixing scheme, 671 billion won on seven companies involved in the flour price-fixing scheme, and 747.6 billion won on four companies involved in the starch and starch syrup price-fixing scheme.

A distribution industry official stated, “We fully accept the criticism of our mistakes raised during the parliamentary audit,” but added, “However, we hope this will be an opportunity to discuss policy and institutional alternatives, rather than focusing solely on reprimanding companies.”