South Korea Plans to Fine Google, Apple for Breaching Mobile Payment Rules -- Update
06 Oktober 2023 - 11:20AM
Dow Jones News
By Kwanwoo Jun
South Korea's telecom regulator plans to fine Alphabet's Google
and Apple a total of $51 million for allegedly abusing their market
dominance and breaching the country's mobile-payment
regulations.
The Korea Communications Commission said Friday that the U.S.
tech giants had forced app developers to use their in-app payment
methods rather than external competitors' payment methods.
Google and Apple were also found to have unfairly delayed app
reviews to enforce the malpractice, it said.
The commission said Google and Apple would be fined KRW47.6
billion ($35.4 million) and KRW20.5 billion, respectively, for
their alleged violations of local fair-trade rules.
South Korea in 2021 enacted new telecom regulations that banned
app-store platform operators from abusing their dominant market
positions.
Both Google and Apple said Friday that they are abiding by South
Korean law.
Google said in a statement that it has worked closely with the
KCC since a probe started in August 2022 to explain how it is
complying with the new law and to ensure that through its
alternative billing, it continues to provide "safe and
high-quality" services for all.
"What KCC has shared today is the 'pre-notice' and we will
carefully review and submit our response," a Google spokesperson
said in the statement.
Apple also said that it disagrees with the conclusions made by
the KCC and believes that the changes it has implemented to its App
Store comply with the law.
"As we have always done, we will continue to engage with the KCC
to share our views," Apple said in a press release.
Write to Kwanwoo Jun at kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 06, 2023 05:05 ET (09:05 GMT)
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