<Anchor> This is a
friendly economic time. Today (2nd), I will be with reporter Kim Hye-min. In August, at the special session of the National Assembly, the Google Abuse Prevention Act was passed in the plenary session of the National Assembly. You say this is the world's first case?
<Reporter> The
National Assembly has been praised by the people for a long time, but as the 'Google Abuse Prevention Act' was passed in the National Assembly the next day, compulsory 'in-app payment' became impossible in Korea.
What is this 'in-app payment'? When we download apps, Apple mainly uses the App Store and Android uses Google's Play Store.
A market where you can buy and sell apps like this is called an app market. App market operators were receiving some fixed fees from content providers who made and sold apps.
However, the app market operators went beyond this and made their own internal payment system to pay for paid apps and contents inside, which is called 'in-app payment'.
Although the internal payment system made the excuse that money must flow to protect customers and avoid exposing personal information, there must have been a greater reason to identify paid payments and charge a fee for that.
<Anchor>
Reporter Kim, by the way, in this law, Google is specified. So, I thought that only Google pays in-app, but they say that Apple is also doing it now?
<Reporter>
That's right. So, iPhone users were already paying a little more for this app. The monthly fee for subscription payments such as Wave or YouTube is 30-40% more expensive on the App Store than on the Play Store.
This is because Apple is already forcing 'in-app payment' and receiving a 30% fee.
In the case of Google, which occupies a much higher market share in Korea, in the past, it was forced to impose in-app payment and fees only on game apps.
Then, the Korea Communications Commission and the Fair Trade Commission launched an investigation in turn, and Google took a step back and said that small and medium-sized developers with annual sales of less than $1 million would receive only 15% of the commission, but the National Assembly passed the 'Telecommunication Business Act Amendment' this time. The law is expected to take effect this month at the earliest.
<Anchor>
By the way, although there is a lot of interest in this law in Korea, there is a lot of interest, especially in foreign countries. It is an atmosphere in which foreign media are reporting heavily, and related companies are also taking it seriously.
<Reporter>
There are countries where this bill has been proposed, but Korea is the first country to have passed it like ours. So, after the amendment was passed the other day, countries such as the United States, France, and Germany dealt with this news heavily.
The Wall Street Journal described it as "the world's first law to threaten the dominance of Google and Apple."
Content development companies were also very welcome, and Matchgroup, famous for Tinder, issued a statement saying it was "a monumental step in the fight for a fair app ecosystem."
The CEO of Epic Games, which is in an antitrust lawsuit with Google, also became a hot topic by posting a tweet saying, “I am Korean,” in reference to President Kennedy’s “I am a Berliner” speech.
In addition, US Senator Marsha Blackburn posted a link to a Korean article, arguing that "it's time for the US to follow suit to reduce the influence of big tech companies on the App Store."
<Anchor> After
listening to reporter Kim's explanation, I feel like I'm really looking forward to knowing how much influence this law will have in the future. But the law goes into effect from next month. Then there will be some real impact. maybe?
<Reporter>
After the amendment was passed in the National Assembly, Google immediately took a stand.
At a glance, they say, "We are looking for ways to comply with the law, and we will share the relevant information soon." However, he maintains that monetization is justified, saying, "There is a cost to build and maintain an operating system and an app market." .
So, there are voices who are concerned about whether the fee may be received in a way other than the method of forcing in-app payment.
The biggest beneficiaries of this amendment are game companies.Previously, both Google and Apple were paying a 30% fee, but now it's all banned.
When I asked the position of the game industry, they replied that it was very welcome, but we still have to wait and see.
Since the amendment has just been passed, it remains to be seen whether the app market companies will follow the rules as they are or evade the law after the law is enforced.