South Korea's Communications Watchdog Fines Google, Apple Over In-App Payment Policies

SEOUL, Oct 28 (NNN-Yonhap) -- South Korea's broadcasting and telecommunications regulator said Wednesday it will impose a combined 63.7 billion won (US$45 million) worth of fines on Google and Apple for restricting app developers' payment options through their in-app policies, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) approved fines of 42.9 billion won for Google and 20.81 billion won for Apple for violating the Telecommunications Business Act over their app store payment policies.

The commission said it will also issue corrective orders but will not file criminal complaints against the two United States companies.

The KMCC said Google and Apple had abused their dominant positions by forcing app developers to use specific payment methods and imposed unfavourable conditions on third-party payment options.

The decision comes about three years after South Korea's regulator first notified Google and Apple of the alleged violations in October 2023.

--NNN-YONHAP