Republic of Korea: Fair Trade Commission finalised consent resolution regarding Broadcom’s alleged violation of Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act

On 1 September 2025, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) finalised the consent resolution regarding Broadcom’s alleged violation of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act. The resolution addresses Broadcom’s alleged practice of requiring domestic set-top box manufacturers to exclusively use its system semiconductor components, which represents an unfair transaction under the Fair Trade Act. Broadcom is required to cease requiring exclusive installation of its system-on-chip (SoC) by trading partners and refrain from adverse actions against partners engaging with competitors. It must also avoid contracts mandating purchases of over one-half (more than 50%) of system semiconductor needs or offering conditional benefits, and it must not impose disadvantages for rejecting such requests. To ensure compliance, Broadcom will implement a voluntary program, including annual fair trade law training for employees and annual compliance reports to the FTC until 2031. Additionally, Broadcom will provide a KRW 13 billion win-win fund to support domestic system semiconductor and related industries, fostering coexistence with small and medium-sized businesses through educational courses, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software support (approximately 40 businesses annually for five years), and promotional activities.