South Korea consumer group files complaint against Google CEO, execs

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Google Asia-Pacific President Scott Beaumont, and Google Korea CEO Nancy Walker were reported to the Gangnam Police in Seoul by the Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty (CUCS) for allegedly violating the Telecommunications Business Act, the South China Morning Post reported.

Starting June 1, the US-based firm’s Google Play Store in the country began removing apps that would redirect users to an external payment system, preventing the tech giant from gaining its usual 30% commission fee. The move forces developers to use the in-app payment function and lose a portion of their revenue.

An act passed by South Korea’s National Assembly last year prevented Google from doing so, but the search engine giant evaded those rules by offering alternative payment options through its own system, which charges a 26% commission instead. App users in the country could be paying an additional US$185 million per annum because of Google’s in-app payment policy.

CUCS also plans to report the Alphabet Inc firm to the country’s Fair Trade Commission, which could impose a fine if it finds the company guilty.

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