The investigation, the biggest in the Commission's history, comes after a similar probe was launched earlier this year into the pharmaceutical industry and will involve 40 domestic and 19 foreign companies, the government has confirmed.
"Companies with market dominance and widespread technologies that have become industry standards will be targeted," Kim Jun-beom, director of the KFTC's market supervision team, said in local English-language newspaper JoonAng Daily.
"Foreign companies that have a large influence on the domestic market also will be targeted," he added.
Although the government did not specify which companies are under investigation, IP practitioners have said that large companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor are likely to be involved.
The investigation is looking into...