Hite Brewery Co. voluntarily applied for a pre merger review, before signing a contract, to see whether its share acquisition of Jinro Ltd. might restrict competition.

After the decision made by the full commission on 20July, the KFTC is expected to notify Hite that corrective measures will be imposed if Hite Brewery Co. signs a contract of share acquisition as stated in its pre merger review application form.

After deliberating on Hite Brewery Co.'s bid for Jinro Ltd., the Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) decided in July 2005 that it would impose corrective measures in the event of Hite's formal notification of the takeover on the ground that the conglomerate merger between the Republic of Korea's largest beer maker and its top soju producer might substantially harm competition.