South Korea: Apple faces mysterious antitrust probe

Fair Trade Commission is casting a critical eye over Apple and its business practices, hinting that the firm is about to get caught up in yet another antitrust investigation.

Jeong Jae-Chan, chairman of South Korea’s FTC, revealed the investigation into Apple during a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday but declined to elaborate on the topic when quizzed by a lawmaker, Reuters reported.

However, reports in Korean media said that the FTC was reviewing details of Apple’s contracts with South Korean mobile telecoms carriers earlier this month.

It’s unclear whether this is related to Jeong’s statement, and Apple has yet to offer any insight.

This isn’t the first time Apple has faced up to the Korean FTC, but it’s the first time that the firm has been on this side of the argument. Apple filed an antitrust complaint against Samsung in 2012, alleging that the South Korean firm abused Apple’s wireless technology patents to gain the upper hand in a highly competitive smartphone market.

Full Content: Reuters

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