Third Annual International Competition Network Conference To Take Place in Seoul, Korea

Two Federal Trade Commission officials, William Kovacic, General Counsel, and Randolph Tritell, Assistant Director for International Antitrust, will participate in the third annual International Competition Network (ICN) Conference at the Hotel Lotte in Seoul, Korea, on April 21 and 22, 2004. Senior antitrust officials from around the world will gather in Seoul to discuss competition issues. Antitrust officials also will attend the Seoul Competition Forum 2004, hosted by the Korean Fair Trade Commission, on April 20, 2004.

The ICN conference will focus on the recent work of the three ICN working groups: the Merger Working Group, the Capacity Building and Competition Policy Implementation Working Group, and the Antitrust Enforcement in Regulated Sectors Working Group. ICN member agencies participate in project-oriented working groups that address policy and enforcement issues and formulate proposals for ICN consensus. Working groups seek advice and written contributions from the private sector and intergovernmental organizations. Panel discussions will review the efforts of the three working groups. Topics of discussion will include: four proposed recommended practices on merger notification procedures; improving investigative techniques for merger review; examining the relationships between antitrust agencies and regulators; capacity building in developing and transition economies; and implementation of ICN work product. The conference also will enable the participants to discuss future work efforts.

Information about the conference is available at www.icn-seoul.org. A list of conference events open to the press is available as a link to this media advisory.