South Korea Orders App Store Exit Ramp

South Korea’s Korea Media and Communications Commission has fined Alphabet’s Google and Apple a combined 63.7 billion won, about $47.6 million, after finding they abused their position in app-store markets.

The legal hinge is not exotic. South Korea passed a 2021 law that bars app-store operators from forcing developers to use a specified in-app payment system. According to Fast Company, the commission concluded Google and Apple did exactly that to local developers, while also handling app reviews unfairly by delaying approvals.

The split matters because it shows where the regulator thinks the leverage sat. Google was fined 42.9 billion won, about $32 million. Apple was fined 20.8 billion won, about $15.5 million. The commission also ordered both companies to allow South Korean developers to use external payment links inside their apps and to improve app-review procedures.

That order is the part with teeth, if it sticks. A fine punishes old conduct; changing the payment route threatens the tollbooth. App-store operators prefer owning the checkout because control travels with the transaction: fees, data, and the practical power to decide what counts as compliance. Regulators, in their formal way, have noticed.

Fast Company reported that the investigation ran for years and centered on alleged violations of the 2021 law. The summary did not include any company response or say whether either company will challenge the decision.