The Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) has finalized fines totaling 63.71 billion won ($47.42 million) against Google LLC and Apple Inc. over their in-app payment practices.
At a meeting Wednesday, the commission found that the companies violated the law by requiring developers to use specific payment methods and unduly delaying app reviews.
It also found that Apple charged domestic developers discriminatory commission rates. The companies have charged commissions of up to 30 percent on transactions through their in-app payment systems.
Google was fined 42.9 billion won and Apple 20.81 billion won.
The penalties follow a formal investigation launched four years ago.
Korea became the first country to enact legislation barring app marketplace operators from forcing developers to use specific payment methods in September 2021, through amendments to the Telecommunications Business Act.
The authority that preceded the KMCC launched a formal investigation in August 2022 after finding grounds to suspect misconduct by the two major app marketplace operators. In October 2023, it notified the companies of proposed corrective measures and fines totaling 68 billion won, including 47.5 billion won for Google and 20.5 billion won for Apple.
In March 2025, the authority revised the proposed fines to a combined 63 billion won after recalculating the companies’ revenue, setting the proposed penalties at 42 billion won for Google and 21 billion won for Apple. A final decision was delayed as the commission operated for an extended period with only two of its five legally mandated standing commissioners.
The process gained momentum after the commission resumed normal operations following Kim Jong-cheol’s appointment as chairman late last year.
Regulators in other major markets have also taken action against app marketplace practices.
In April last year, the European Commission fined Apple 500 million euros ($557.7 million) for violating the Digital Markets Act. In July, it fined Google a total of 890 million euros over various violations, including Play Store practices that restricted developers from directing users to external payment options and imposed excessive fees.
Of the total, 430 million euros was related to Google’s app marketplace practices, while the remaining 460 million euros concerned allegations that it favored its own services in search results. The United States and Japan have also stepped up pressure on app marketplace operators to allow external payment options.
Korean information technology industry officials criticized the domestic penalties as too lenient, arguing that fines in the hundreds of billions of won would do little to curb the market power of global technology giants. One industry official said the penalties were far below the roughly trillion-won fines imposed on Google and Apple in Europe.
By Park Seong-bae, Oh Chan-jong and Chang Iou-chung
[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]