South Korea Fines Google and Apple 63.7 Billion Won Over App Payment Practices

Google was fined 42.9 billion won, while Apple was fined approximately 20.8 billion won. The Korea Herald reported that the penalties concerned alleged violations of South Korea’s Telecommunications Business Act, linking the case to the companies’ app-store payment policies.

The regulator said the companies restricted or directed developers toward their own in-app payment systems. Reporting by Fortune said third-party payment was discouraged through fees, while other accounts described the conduct more broadly as steering developers toward the platforms’ in-house options.

The Hindu reported that the regulator also ordered Google and Apple to let South Korean developers place links to external payment services within their apps. The publication said the companies were further instructed to improve their app review procedures.

Euronews separately reported that the companies’ conduct included holding up app reviews. That account adds a review-process dimension to the case, alongside the dispute over how developers can direct users to payment options.

The won amount is consistent across the reports, although its international equivalent varies with exchange rates. The Korea Herald put the total at about $45 million, Fortune at $47.6 million and Euronews at €42.7 million; these figures represent different conversions of the same 63.7 billion won penalty, not separate fines.

The decision places payment choice and app-review procedures at the center of South Korea’s enforcement action against the two major app-store operators. The reported orders would require changes to how local developers offer payment links and how their apps are reviewed, while the fines establish the financial terms of the action.