South Korea’s antitrust regulator stated Thursday, May 14, it has again rejected voluntary corrective measures by Apple’s Korean unit over its alleged violation of competition law.
Apple Korea is suspected of having required Korean mobile phone carriers, SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus — to pay the cost of television advertisements for its iPhones and their warranty costs.
Apple Korea had submitted voluntary corrective measures last year, but the South Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) rejected the measures in September last year.
The KFTC held a meeting Wednesday to discuss new measures submitted by Apple Korea but rejected them due to a lack of specific plans on some measures. The KFTC ordered Apple Korea to submit revised measures.
Under the law, an applicant is required to state a correction scheme necessary to restore competition practices or improve trading practices and to remedy or prevent damage to consumers and other business entities.
If the KFTC decides to launch the process, it will come up with provisional corrective measures in consultation with Apple Korea before collecting opinions of relevant parties and finalizing a consent decree.
The law stipulates any consent decree adopted by the Commission does not mean that the relevant conduct is recognized as a violation of the law.
Full Content: YNA
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