Google Postpones South Korea Payment Model Rollout as KCC Investigates Fee Structure

Google has announced that it will implement its new payment model for Google Play in South Korea as soon as the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) concludes its investigation into the company's in-app fee structure. The KCC had requested an earlier implementation date to ease the fee burden on South Korean developers.

The new payment model was first implemented in June in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Economic Area (EEA), with South Korea scheduled for December 31. However, industry observers welcomed the changes but noted that the implementation timeline was too late.

Google's vice president of public policy and government affairs, Wilson White, stated that the KCC is in the process of concluding its investigation into certain aspects of the Google Play business model, and that the company continues to engage in constructive discussions with the regulator. He emphasized that the changes will address concerns about the fee structure.

White also discussed age verification for teen social media use, stating that platforms like Google Play or the App Store should not handle age verification in one place as proposed by Meta. He argued that entrusting age verification to a single app marketplace may sound plausible but is ineffective, and that real teen protection is only possible when all players in the ecosystem share responsibility.

Google also operates the ChangGoo program, a South Korean startup support program that has seen participation from more than 760 startups to date. White praised the program as a global benchmark and recommended other governments adopt it.