SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Google Inc. has pledged to provide an alternative payment system at its app store in South Korea, the telecommunications regulator said Thursday, in what could be a concession amid a tug-of-war over lucrative payment systems in the app market. The commitment is part of follow-up measures to a new [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — Google said Wednesday it offers around 12 trillion won (US$10.25 billion) in economic benefits for South Korean consumers annually through its services, highlighting its presence in the country amid growing scrutiny from local regulators and politicians over allegations of unfair business practices. During an online recorded event, the tech [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean law aimed at curbing the influence that Apple Inc. and Google have over payment systems in their app stores went into effect Tuesday, the country’s telecommunications regulator said, marking a victory for many local developers. The new law, the first of its kind globally, bars app [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s antitrust regulator said Tuesday it has decided to fine global tech giant Google 207.4 billion won (US$176.8 million) for pressing smartphone makers into only using its Android mobile operating system. Since 2016, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has been looking into Google over allegations it obstructed [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A U.S.-based group of companies is celebrating the passing of the revised bill of the Telecommunications Business Act in South Korea to curb the sway of Google and Apple when it comes to app store fees. One U.S. game developer welcomed the news, calling himself “a Korean.” “As President [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s parliament passed a bill Tuesday that would rein in the dominance Google and Apple exert over payments on their app stores, becoming the first nation in the world to enact such a law. South Korean lawmakers voted to approve the amendments to the Telecommunications Business Act, which [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean watchdog on personal information protection on Wednesday fined major foreign platform service providers nearly 6.7 billion won (US$5.7 million) over privacy violations. The Personal Information Protection Commission meted out the penalty against Facebook, Netflix and Google and ordered them to fix the problems following its probe. [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — A parliamentary committee on Wednesday passed a bill to ban Google and Apple from forcing app developers to use the platforms’ payment systems, clearing the last remaining hurdle before a final vote. The legislation and judiciary committee of the National Assembly approved the revision of the Telecommunications Business Act, [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A U.S.-based group of companies that has voiced opposition to commissions major app stores collect from developers expressed support Tuesday for legislative movement in South Korea to pass a bill that seeks to curb the so-called app store taxes. Last month, the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications [...]
SEOUL, July 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean lawmakers decided Tuesday to press forward with legislation that restricts app market operators from wielding their dominance in determining how digital goods payments are processed in a move widely seen as reining in global tech giants such as Google and Apple Inc. Over the past year, multiple [...]