POSCO’s Daewoo Shipbuilding Bid Sparks Fear of Unfair Competition

After POSCO having expressed its intention to make an independent bid for Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), concerns have risen that the possible acquisition might hurt “fair competition’’ among shipbuilders.

Experts say the acquisition, if realized, is highly likely to prompt the world’s fourth-largest steel maker to create a monopoly in the steel industry at a time when steel prices for constructing vessels are unexpectedly high due to a supply and demand imbalance.