Korean Air faces probe over deleted documents in route case

Korean Air faces possible prosecution in Seoul after the Fair Trade Commission said three employees allegedly deleted files and emails during an investigation into the airline’s request to ease seat-supply obligations tied to its merger with Asiana Airlines. The FTC submitted a review report recommending prosecution of Korean Air and the three employees for alleged obstruction. The case will go to the FTC’s full commission for a final decision after the company and employees can respond and review evidence.

The FTC conducted an on-site inspection of Korean Air’s headquarters in Seoul from Feb. 2 to 6.

The agency said three Korean Air employees deleted work-related electronic files and emails between Feb. 2 and 4.

The corrective measures require Korean Air to maintain at least 90 percent of 2019 seat capacity on 40 domestic and international routes.

Korean Air and the other airlines asked to treat the Cheongju-Jeju route requirement as met if annual seat capacity stayed at or above 70 percent of the 2019 level.

Those found guilty of obstructing an FTC investigation through concealment or destruction of materials could face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 150 million won.

Published Sep 10, 2026 1:38 pm KST

Watchdog rejects Korean Air's request to ease seat capacity rule

Korean Air's Boeing 787-10 jet / Courtesy of Korean Air

Korean Air faces possible prosecution after three employees allegedly deleted files and emails during a Fair Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into the airline’s request to ease seat-supply obligations imposed as part of its merger with Asiana Airlines.

The FTC said Thursday that it submitted a review report recommending that Korean Air and the three employees each be referred for prosecution over alleged obstruction of the regulator’s investigation.

The recommendation is not a final decision. The case will be reviewed by the FTC’s full commission, which will make its final determination after giving Korean Air and the employees opportunities to submit their opinions and review evidence.

The watchdog conducted an on-site inspection of Korean Air’s headquarters in Seoul from Feb. 2-6, as part of its review of the airline’s request to ease seat-supply requirements on the Cheongju-Jeju and Jeju-Cheongju routes.

According to the FTC, three Korean Air employees deleted work-related electronic files and emails connected to the case between Feb. 2 and 4. Investigators determined that the actions constituted obstruction of an FTC investigation under the Fair Trade Act.

Jin Air's Boeing 737-800 passenger jet / Courtesy of Jin Air

The agency said it therefore recommended prosecuting Korean Air and each of the three employees separately. Those found guilty of obstructing an FTC investigation through the concealment or destruction of materials could face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 150 million won ($109,000).

The investigation stems from Korean Air and four other airlines’ requests to modify corrective measures imposed following Korean Air’s acquisition of Asiana. They include Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and three low-cost carriers — Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul — which will also be integrated as a converged Jin Air following the merger of Korean Air and Asiana.

The FTC ordered Korean Air in 2022, with the measures revised in December 2024, to maintain at least 90 percent of the 2019 seat capacity on 40 domestic and international routes affected by the merger.

The measures were designed to prevent a decline in competition and protect consumers from reduced capacity and higher fares.

Korean Air and the other airlines argued that external factors, including surging fuel prices and exchange rates linked to the war in the Middle East and weaker passenger demand, had made it difficult and costly to maintain the required capacity.

For the Cheongju-Jeju route, they asked the FTC to recognize the obligation as fulfilled if annual seat capacity remained at or above 70 percent of the 2019 level.

The FTC’s investigators, however, recommended rejecting the request, saying there had been no new and unavoidable change in circumstances since the corrective measures were last revised in December 2024 that would justify modifying the requirement.

The investigators also recommended rejecting a separate request by the airlines to waive or ease the 90 percent seat-capacity requirement across all affected routes for 2026.

“The FTC will continue monitoring compliance with the corrective measures to prevent potential harm to air passengers,” an official from the FTC said.

韩国公平交易委员会称，大韩航空三名员工涉嫌在调查期间删除文件和电子邮件，导致该公司面临首尔方面的起诉。该调查旨在了解大韩航空为配合与韩亚航空合并而提出的减轻座位供应义务的请求。公平交易委员会已提交审查报告，建议以涉嫌妨碍司法公正为由起诉大韩航空及其三名员工。待公司和员工作出回应并审查证据后，此案将提交公平交易委员会全体委员进行最终裁决。

美国联邦贸易委员会于2月2日至6日对大韩航空位于首尔的总部进行了现场检查。

该机构称，2月2日至4日期间，三名大韩航空员工删除了与工作相关的电子文件和电子邮件。

纠正措施要求大韩航空在 40 条国内和国际航线上保持至少 2019 年 90% 的座位运力。

大韩航空和其他航空公司要求，如果年度座位容量保持在 2019 年水平的 70% 或以上，则将清州-济州航线的要求视为已满足。

那些被认定通过隐瞒或销毁材料来妨碍联邦贸易委员会调查的人，最高可被判处两年监禁或罚款 1.5 亿韩元。

发布于2026年9月10日下午1:38（韩国标准时间）

监管机构驳回了大韩航空放宽座位容量限制的请求

大韩航空的波音787-10飞机 / 图片由大韩航空提供

据称，在公平交易委员会 (FTC) 对大韩航空申请放宽因与韩亚航空合并而产生的座位供应义务进行调查期间，三名员工删除了文件和电子邮件，大韩航空可能面临起诉。

美国联邦贸易委员会周四表示，已提交一份审查报告，建议将大韩航空及其三名员工移交检方起诉，指控他们涉嫌妨碍监管机构的调查。

该建议并非最终决定。此案将由联邦贸易委员会全体委员进行审查，委员会将在给予大韩航空及其员工提交意见和审查证据的机会后，做出最终裁决。

监管机构于 2 月 2 日至 6 日对大韩航空位于首尔的总部进行了现场检查，这是其审查该航空公司放宽清州-济州和济州-清州航线座位供应要求的请求的一部分。

据美国联邦贸易委员会称，2月2日至4日期间，三名大韩航空员工删除了与此案相关的工作电子文件和电子邮件。调查人员认定，这些行为构成违反《公平交易法》妨碍美国联邦贸易委员会调查。

真航空的波音737-800客机 / 图片由真航空提供

因此，该机构建议分别对大韩航空和三名涉案员工提起诉讼。任何被判犯有通过隐瞒或销毁材料妨碍联邦贸易委员会调查罪的人，最高可被判处两年监禁或最高1.5亿韩元（约合10.9万美元）的罚款。

此次调查源于大韩航空及其他四家航空公司提出的修改此前大韩航空收购韩亚航空后所实施的整改措施的请求。这四家航空公司包括大韩航空、韩亚航空以及三家低成本航空公司——真航空、釜山航空和首尔航空。在大韩航空与韩亚航空合并后，这三家航空公司也将并入真航空。

2022 年，美国联邦贸易委员会 (FTC) 责令大韩航空在受合并影响的 40 条国内和国际航线上，保持 2019 年 90% 的座位容量（该措施于 2024 年 12 月进行了修订）。

这些措施旨在防止竞争减弱，并保护消费者免受运力下降和票价上涨的影响。

大韩航空和其他航空公司辩称，包括与中东战争相关的燃油价格和汇率飙升以及乘客需求疲软在内的外部因素，使得维持所需的运力变得困难且成本高昂。

对于清州-济州航线，他们要求联邦贸易委员会承认，如果年度座位容量保持在 2019 年水平的 70% 或以上，则该义务已履行完毕。

然而，联邦贸易委员会的调查人员建议驳回该请求，称自 2024 年 12 月上次修订纠正措施以来，情况没有发生任何新的、不可避免的变化，足以证明修改该要求的合理性。

调查人员还建议驳回航空公司提出的另一项请求，即豁免或放宽 2026 年所有受影响航线 90% 的座位容量要求。

“联邦贸易委员会将继续监督纠正措施的执行情况，以防止对航空旅客造成潜在伤害，”联邦贸易委员会的一位官员表示。