Fair Trade Commission accuses the global tech giant of preventing local companies from releasing content on the country’s major homegrown app market under a shady deal.
According to local media, the South Korean antitrust regulator has decided to fine Google and its regional subsidiaries 42.1 billion won ($31.8 million) for “unfair business practices” aimed at consolidating its dominance in the Korean mobile gaming app market.
According to the Fair Trade Commission, the global tech giant prohibited South Korean mobile game companies from releasing their content on One Store, the country’s major homegrown app market, between 2016 and 2018, according to Yonhap News Agency.
“Google calculated that the launch of a competitive and comprehensive app market, One Store,” the agency said, citing the commission statement.
According to the commission, Google asked South Korean companies to only release their content on Google Play under the agreement, which helped the global tech giant solidify its market dominance.
“By preventing game releases on One Store, Google has hampered innovation and consumer benefits in the app market and mobile gaming sector,” it continued.
Google, on the other hand, stated in a statement that it had carefully reviewed the decision and did not agree with the commission.
“Through Google Play, we compete vigorously with other app markets and are proud of the benefits we provide to developers, including the gaming industry and everyday users.” Google invests heavily in the success of developers, and we respectfully disagree with the KFTC’s findings,” the news agency said, citing a Google statement.
