South Korea To Investigate Apple And Google App Stores
South Korea’s Communications Commissions (KCC) said it is going to launch an investigation to find out if app store operators like Google and Apple are violating the country’s new rules on in-app payments.
In addition to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the investigation will also affect the local ONE Store, which was launched by SK Group. The agency has been investigating all three app stores since May 17 and found that they allegedly violated the requirements of the country’s law passed last year. This law allows developers to use third-party payment systems when conducting microtransactions in applications, and stores can no longer force developers to use only their services. Apple and Google have agreed to open platforms for third-party payment systems and provide a 4% discount for transactions through third-party services.
At the same time, even in South Korea, the ban on the publication of links to alternative payment services in applications remains. Last month, Google temporarily blocked updates to KakaoTalk, the most popular instant messenger in the country, because of this, the administration of which subsequently agreed to remove these links.
Based on the results of the investigation, the KCC may order app store owners to bring their sites into compliance with the requirements of the law, as well as issue fines up to 2% of their annual turnover.
