South Korea Accuses Google of Violating Antitrust Rules

South Korea's antitrust regulator has concluded its investigation into Google, with the tech giant facing a potential multi-billion-dollar fine. According to the country's Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), the company leveraged its dominant position in the Android app market to restrict competition.

The investigation focused on a program called "Project Hug," which operated from 2019 through March 2026. Under this project, Google offered financial support to game developers who used services such as Cloud, Ads, and YouTube. In return, developers were required to place their games on Google Play under exclusive or preferential terms.

The contracts were structured so that the more revenue a developer earned through Google, the more incentives they received from the company, which discouraged them from collaborating with other platforms.

According to the regulator, these actions blocked competitors, including South Korean platform OneStore, from operating and forced developers to work exclusively with Google. The case involves approximately $9.1 billion in transaction volume. If the violation is ultimately confirmed, Google could face a fine of up to 6% of this amount.

Google itself does not agree with the allegations and states that its platform benefits both developers and users. The company has eight weeks to officially present its position, after which the commission will issue a final decision.

Source: Investing.com