The South Korean telecommunications regulator, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), has accused Google and Apple of abusing their dominant positions in the app market. They claim that both companies forced app developers to use specific payment methods and caused unfair delays in app reviews. The KCC has issued a pre-notice to both Google and Apple, notifying them of the need for corrective action and potential fines of up to $50.5 million. Google and Apple have responded, with Google stating they will carefully review and respond to the KCC’s decision, and Apple expressing disagreement with the conclusions and a commitment to engage with the KCC. South Korea had previously passed a law banning app store operators from mandating their payment systems on developers, and the KCC believes that Google and Apple’s actions may undermine fair competition. The regulator could impose fines of up to 68 billion won, with 47.5 billion won for Google and 20.5 billion won for Apple.
