Apple had submitted plans to allow third-party payment systems on its app store, said on Tuesday South Korea’s telecommunications regulator. The idea is to comply with a law banning major app store operators from forcing software developers to use their payments systems.
The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) had requested Apple Inc and Alphabet’s Google to submit compliance plans. The bill was passed in August last year and the law went into effect in September.
In November, Google announced its plans to allow alternative payment systems in South Korea. The goal is to comply with the amended Telecommunication Business Act, dubbed the “anti-Google law”. In a statement Apple said:
“Apple has a great deal of respect for Korea’s laws and a strong history of collaboration with the country’s talented app developers … We look forward to working with the KCC and our developer community on a solution that benefits our Korean users.”
Apple plans to allow alternative payment systems for a lower service fee versus the current 30% commissions, said KCC.
The company did not provide details, such as timeline of when the change will take effect or commission fee rates. However, it plans to discuss further details with the KCC, the regulator said.