MOSCOW (MRC) -- South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has given conditional approval to Hanwha's proposed acquisition of Samsung General Chemicals, said Chemicals-technology.
The regulatory authority identified that the combined entity could dominate the domestic ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) market, which could result in higher prices. However, markets of the other three chemical products including low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene will not be significantly affected by the transaction, KFTC said.
The agency stated that the deal will strengthen the monopolistic nature of the EVA market as the market share of Hanwha Chemical and Samsung Total will be higher and the number of competitors will decrease from four to three.
"The approval requires the company to ensure that the domestic price of EVA is increased at slower rate in domestic market in next three years if export price of EVA rises in overseas market."
The approval requires the company to ensure that the domestic price of EVA is increased at slower rate in domestic market in next three years if export price of EVA rises in overseas market. It should be lower than the rate of export price increase of the production in the past six months.
Hanwha should also see that in case of EVA export price decreases, domestic price should be lowered by the rate of decrease higher than the rate of export price decrease of the past six months period. The remedies imposed should be implemented for the next three years and the report on proceedings should be submitted to the agency semi-annually, KFTC said.
Hanwha Chemical signed a deal to acquire 27.6% and 30% stakes of Samsung Electronics and Samsung Corporation in Samsung General Chemicals in November last year. The company also agreed to buy Samsung Total Petrochemicals joint venture.
According to Korean media reports, around 2,300 union members of Samsung chemical and defence affiliates staged a protest rally in Seoul opposing the sale of the businesses to Hanwha.
As MRC wrote before, Hanwha Chemical is no longer considering buying parts of Dow Chemical's chloro-alkali business. South Korea's Hanwha Chemical had picked Credit Suisse to advise on possible purchases from Dow Chemical's chloro-alkali business but its interest is still in the early stages.
Hanwha Group is one of the largest business conglomerate in South Korea. Founded in 1952 as Korea Explosives Inc., the group has grown into a large multi-profile business conglomerate, with diversified holdings stretching from explosives, their original business, to retail to financial services.
MRC