The iPhone maker announced sweeping changes to its European app store policies on Thursday, cutting maximum commission rates from 30 percent to 15 percent and allowing developers to promote alternative payment methods under pressure from EU regulators.
The move has highlighted the contrast with South Korea, where Google and Apple continue charging up to 30 percent commission despite the country's pioneering 2022 law banning mandatory in-app payments.
"We will supplement the mandatory in-app payment prohibition law to improve global equity in app markets," the ruling Democratic Party said in the presidential election promises, but concrete action has yet to materialize.
A 2024 survey by the Korea Communications Commission and the Korea Internet & Security Agency found that 70.4 percent of app developers still consider excessive fees their biggest problem, far outweighing concerns about unclear revenue settlements or limited payment options.
The in-app purchase tyranny is leading to several protests, with the Korean Publishers Association filing class action lawsuits against Apple last month for its overcharging on web-based novels and comics. The association revealed that the fees even follow to paperback books if purchased through Apple applications.
Numbers are growing by the day, as law group We the People reported on June 6, the number of domestic IT firms willing to join in on class action lawsuits against Apple for its excessive fees have spiked through 100, the groups condemning the monopoly of the smartphone maker.
Industry observers say the EU's success in forcing Apple's hand could provide a roadmap for South Korean regulators seeking to extract similar concessions from platform giants.
reporter
Kim Dong-young
davekim0807@ajupress.com
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