KBS has obtained circumstantial evidence suggesting that the owner of Hanjin Group’s family pocketed tens of billions of won in commission generated from duty-free items for nearly three decades through a brokerage firm.

The revelation comes as the conglomerate is facing investigation by the Fair Trade Commission(FTC) on allegations of taking commission, or transit tax, from business transactions on in-flight sales of duty-free items.

The three children of Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho, along with a former executive of the company, are the co-owners of the brokerage, established in 2010, suspected of having been used to pocket the commission. 

However, suspicions have arisen that the firm is the same one established by their grandfather and Korean Air’s late founder Cho Choong-hoon in 1990, and its name has simply been changed, meaning they may have been pocketing commissions for some 28 years. 

Korean Air said it cannot confirm the latest suspicion, citing that the FTC is conducting a related probe.