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South Korea Opens Antitrust Probe Into Chinese Container Makers Over Covid-Era Price Allegations

By  |  July 7, 2026
South Korea

South Korea’s antitrust regulator has opened an investigation into allegations that four major Chinese shipping-container manufacturers colluded to limit production and raise prices during the Covid-19 pandemic and the global supply-chain crisis, according to KED Global.

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    The Korea Fair Trade Commission is examining whether China International Marine Containers, Singamas Container Holdings, Shanghai Universal Logistics Equipment, also known as Dong Fang, and CXIC Group Containers violated South Korean competition law by coordinating production of standard dry containers, KED Global reported.

    The South Korean inquiry follows a U.S. Department of Justice criminal case unsealed in May. The DOJ said the same four companies and seven executives were indicted for allegedly conspiring from as early as November 2019 through at least January 2024 to restrict output and fix prices for standard unrefrigerated shipping containers. The DOJ said the alleged conduct affected nearly all of the world’s standard dry-container supply and violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act.

    The case highlights competition concerns in a market dominated by a small group of manufacturers. Reuters, citing U.S. authorities, reported that the four companies collectively produce about 95% of the world’s standard dry shipping containers. Such concentration can heighten antitrust scrutiny when regulators suspect rivals coordinated production or pricing rather than competing independently.

    Related: US Judge Allows COVID-Era Price Gouging Lawsuit Against Amazon to Proceed

    Standard dry containers are the steel boxes used to move consumer goods, industrial products and other cargo across ocean, rail and truck networks. During the pandemic, container shortages and port congestion contributed to sharply higher shipping costs and delays across global trade.

    U.S. prosecutors allege the manufacturers used the disruption to restrict supply and raise prices. The DOJ said the alleged conspiracy roughly doubled standard container prices between 2019 and 2021 and sharply increased manufacturers’ profits during the pandemic supply-chain crisis. The allegations have not been proven in court.

    According to the DOJ, Singamas marketing director Vick Nam Hing Ma was arrested in France in April 2026, and U.S. authorities are seeking his extradition. Six other executive defendants remain outside U.S. custody, the department said.

    The South Korean probe adds another regulatory front to the matter. The KFTC has previously pursued cartel cases in the shipping sector, including fines against container shipping lines for freight-rate collusion on regional routes.

    Source: KED Global