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Google was accused of market exploitation in connection with Android use in South Korea, and the country’s Fair Trade Commission is set to make a decision for this case. It was reported that the agency will be holding a final review of the allegations on Sept. 1.
According to The Korea Herald, the FTC scheduled the session next month to finalize and determine if Google should be penalized or not. And if they come to a decision that a penalty is necessary, the commission will also decide what kind of punishment it would hand down to the American tech firm.
This is the agency’s third meeting with all the members present to address the matter. The first two meetings were held in May and in July. In any case, after the third session in September, the official decision will not come immediately, and it is expected to arrive after two weeks from the date of the meeting.
The issue stemmed from the allegations that Google exploited its market dominance in South Korea to force local device makers as well as wireless carriers to use its operating system, which is the Android. The nation’s antitrust regulator said that this move effectively shut out its competitors.
Google is said to have been accused of the same offense in other countries such as Europe and its homeland, the United States. For its case in S. Korea, the officials said that it has given the company enough time to defend itself and prepare for the case as part of its procedural rights.
In South Korea, it was said that it is not common for the anti-trust watchdog to hold more than one full session for just one case. In the past 10 years, the cases addressed by the FTC always end with just one session. It was explained that Google’s case requires more meetings because the case also involves other countries, and the issue is a global one.
Meanwhile, Pulse News reported that how Korea will decide on Google’s case is being watched globally because it will also affect how the other countries’ regulators will handle their own cases against the tech company.
