Korea's antitrust watchdog accuses Google of abusing its dominance in the Android app market, potentially affecting about 14.16 trillion won ($9.1 billion) in revenue from mid-2019 through early 2026.

Investigations show Google’s Games/Google Velocity Program, internally called Project Hug, subsidized developers on the condition that they launch games on Google Play under terms at least as favorable as rival stores.

GVP agreements are said to have significantly blocked developers from joining rival marketplaces and effectively forced exclusive dealing with Google.

The ruling could influence Korea-U.S. trade tensions and broader antitrust scrutiny of U.S. tech giants, though the U.S. FTC cautions that its progress isn’t directly undermining Korea’s case.

The article frames Google's defense and notes the formal review is ongoing, with a final decision still to be issued by the full commission.

A potential 6% fine under Korea’s fair-trade law could reach about 849.6 billion won, though the final amount awaits the full FTC commission’s ruling.

The issue sits within a wider context of ongoing scrutiny of Google’s practices in South Korea, with multiple related stories in the same coverage.

regulators in Korea point to a busy period for antitrust enforcement, focusing on fair practices with developers and platform operators.

Separately, the FTC approved voluntary corrective measures worth 3 billion won for Coupang and its private-label unit over subcontractor practices, resolving the case without further litigation.

Earlier, the same Coupang/CPLB settlement covered 314 subcontractors and addressed missing information and discount practices since 2022.

Google has eight weeks to submit written responses to the examiner’s report, as the KFTC plans to convene the full commission and issue a final ruling after due process.

Google maintains it did not violate the law and will present its case to the KFTC, asserting fair competition on Google Play.