锦湖轮胎因美国物流费纠纷面临韩国公平交易投诉

Kumho Tire Faces Fair Trade Probe Amid US Payment Lawsuit
US Logistics Firm Alleges "Coerced Unfair Agent Deal"
Kumho Says "Dispute Between Logistics Firms; Payment Made Normally"
James Worldwide Says "Filed Report With Tax Agency Over Unfair Trade"
Finance
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Published
2026.07.29. 16:35:34
By Sim Ki-mun
Summary
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Kumho Tire's Central Research Institute in Yongin. Photo courtesy of Kumho Tire
Kumho Tire (073240), which has been embroiled in litigation in the United States over $3.15 million (about 4.6 billion won) in unpaid logistics fees, now faces the prospect of an investigation by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC). Kumho Tire maintains it bears no direct responsibility, arguing the issue arose after its direct US contracting party subcontracted the work. However, the company appears unable to avoid criticism that it is standing by while a subcontractor goes unpaid.
According to industry sources on the 29th, James Worldwide, a Korean-American logistics company, recently submitted a complaint to the FTC, claiming it suffered damages from Kumho Tire's unfair trade practices. James Worldwide also plans to file a report on Kumho Tire's unfair trade practices with the National Tax Service.
James Worldwide, which has handled product transportation services for Kumho Tire in the US, claims it has not been paid $3.15 million in fees. Kumho Tire's tire transportation contract flows from its US subsidiary to Melis Group to James Worldwide, and James filed suit claiming it received only part of the payment from Melis Group and was not paid the amount at issue.
James Worldwide says that in its contractual relationship with Kumho Tire's US subsidiary, Melis Group suddenly appeared as an intermediary and forced it into an unfair agent deal. In particular, it claims that after signing a direct contract with Kumho Tire's US subsidiary, it was abruptly notified to conduct all transactions through Melis.
Kumho Tire's position is that, since its US subsidiary's direct contracting party is Melis Group, it is unrelated to the nonpayment situation involving James Worldwide, which was subcontracted. The company says its US subsidiary has already made normal payment to Melis, making it a settlement issue between the two logistics firms. It also explains that the case in which James Worldwide signed a direct contract with Kumho Tire's US subsidiary was a separate contract covering work different from the transportation at issue.
Earlier, James Worldwide filed a lawsuit in 2024 with the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas against Kumho Tire's US subsidiary, Melis Group and others, claiming damages related to transportation fees. The industry is watching the final ruling expected from the US court around the 20th of next month.
Nevertheless, Kumho Tire appears unable to avoid criticism that it is neglecting the nonpayment issue for the transportation of its own products. Even if Kumho Tire has paid Melis, its direct contracting party, in full, the subcontractor has gone without a substantial portion of the related fees for a long period.
Kumho Tire's US subsidiary is reportedly still maintaining its contractual relationship with Melis Group, where the payment dispute with the subcontractor has arisen.
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Original reporting by
Sim Ki-mun
for Seoul Economic Daily.
AI-translated from Korean. Quotes from foreign sources are based on Korean-language reports and may not reflect exact original wording.
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