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South Korea’s media and telecommunications regulator on Wednesday ordered Google and Apple to pay a combined 63.7 billion won (€42.7m) accusing them of exploiting their grip on app stores to push developers towards their own payment tools and of stalling app reviews.
The two US companies have faced similar penalties elsewhere, including in the EU.
The Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) fined Google 42.9 billion won (€28.7m) and Apple 20.8 billion won (€13.9m) after an investigation that began back in August 2022.
It found that both firms had broken a 2021 law that stops app store operators from making developers use a specific payment system, a rule that South Korea was the first country in the world to put into force.
On paper, Google and Apple allowed developers to offer other payment systems inside their apps. However, they charged a 26% commission on those payments, only slightly below the 30% they charge for their own systems, and held back some features, which the commission said left developers with little real choice.
Payments through external websites were also blocked altogether.
The regulator also found that the companies held up app reviews without properly explaining the reasons to developers, or saying when the reviews would restart.
Apple was also found to have charged South Korean developers more than those elsewhere between 2015 and January 2023, as it calculated its commission on prices that included value-added tax.
Both companies must now let South Korean developers place links to outside payment options in their apps and improve how they review apps. They have one month to submit plans and three months to make the changes.
Commission chair Kim Jong-cheol said he hoped the sanctions would bring real change to the market, reiterating that South Korean law would be applied equally to domestic and foreign companies.
Google and Apple have not yet reacted publicly to the decision.
A familiar fight in Europe
The case echoes battles in the EU, where the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law setting rules for the biggest online platforms, prohibits so-called gatekeepers from stopping developers directing users to cheaper deals.
In April 2025, Apple was fined €500 million by the European Commission under the DMA for blocking such steering on its app store, a decision it has appealed.
In August this year, following what it called close collaboration with the Commission, Apple announced new EU terms taking effect on 1 October.
They cut its standard commission on in-app purchases to 26% from 30% and set a 15% rate when developers send users elsewhere to complete a purchase.
Meanwhile, Google was fined €890 million by Brussels in July, including €430 million for restricting developers on Google Play from pointing users to cheaper purchase options.
It has since changed some of its fees and terms on Google Play, which the Commission is still assessing, and has appealed the fines.
Additional sources • AP