Apple and Google fined in South Korea over app store violations

South Korea's media regulator has fined Apple and Google and ordered both companies to alter how their app stores operate in the country, after an investigation found they violated local app market rules. The Korea Media and Communications Commission said the penalties follow fact-finding investigations and on-site inspections of the two companies that began in 2022. The KMCC announced the findings on October 29, 2026.

The regulator found that both companies forced users to rely on their in-app payment methods, imposed a 26 percent commission on third-party payments and blocked external payments. Those practices ran afoul of South Korea's rules for the app market sector. The KMCC is now requiring Apple and Google to accept external payments in the country.

The investigation also turned up problems with how apps are reviewed. According to the KMCC, the companies delayed app reviews without giving a clear reason and failed to respond to individual inquiries about those delays. As a result, the regulator is ordering both companies to revise their app review procedures.

Separately, the regulator found that Apple calculated its commissions differently for South Korean and overseas developers. For Korean developers, Apple based its cut on the purchase price including VAT, while for developers outside the country it based the cut on pre-VAT prices. The KMCC is requiring Apple to prevent discrimination between domestic and overseas app developers.

The South Korean action lands as both companies already permit external payments in the United States and the European Union, meaning the country's requirements would bring its rules closer to those markets. The KMCC's order adds South Korea to the list of jurisdictions where the two app store operators face obligations to open their payment systems.

The fines and the mandated changes affect developers and consumers who use the Apple and Google app stores in South Korea. The KMCC did not disclose the size of the penalties in the findings described. Both companies now face requirements to accept external payments and to change their review procedures, with Apple carrying the additional obligation on developer treatment.

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