Another cargo lawsuit brought in South Korea
18 / 04 / 2010
A SOUTH Korean civic group has brought a lawsuit for cargo price-fixing against 10 Asian carriers.
The Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice (left) claims that Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air and seven others conducted “price collusion” for fixed cargo charges from January 2000 onwards.
The group has openly called for companies who have been overcharged for these services to come forward and join the group in a possible class action.
Yun Cheol-han, the group’s representative, said: “For a very long time, people did not know how they were being charged and how much they were rigged. This could be an infringement upon customers’ rights.
“The excessive freight charges could also raise logistic costs for manufacturers, influencing the product price and eventually weakening national competitiveness.
“The first trial may take about 12 to 16 months but we are confident since we have so much evidence to prove their guilt,” he added.
Spokesmen for both Korean Air and Asiana declined to comment.
