South Korea announces measures to ease economic criminal penalties
( September 30, 2025, 03:48 GMT | Official Statement) -- MLex Summary: The South Korean government on Tuesday unveiled its first set of measures to ease economic criminal penalties as part of its goal to revise 30 percent of such penalties this year. Announced by the Finance Ministry and the ruling Democratic Party, the measures aim to reduce unnecessary criminal liability for business owners and ease burdens on small- and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed. Key steps include abolishing the crime of breach of trust under the Criminal Act, exempting liability under joint punishment rules for Minimum Wage Act violations when business owners have exercised due diligence, and replacing imprisonment or fines with administrative fines and punitive damages in cases where criminal sanctions are deemed excessive and ineffective.The statement and the full document, in Korean, are attached. ...
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