[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Choi Su-yeon, CEO of Naver, stated regarding Google's new payment policy mandating in-app payments, "I believe we must follow the app market operator's policies."
At a meeting held on the 13th at Naver's second building '1784' in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, CEO Choi said, "Each app is responding appropriately with various options such as Google payment and third-party payments (developer payments) tailored to each service."
She also expressed regret over the legal effectiveness of the 'In-App Payment Mandate Prohibition Act,' which regulates app market operators. This law stipulates that app market operators must not force specific payment methods on registered developers.
CEO Choi said, "From a service perspective, although advanced legal regulations have been established, it would be unreasonable not to feel some disappointment regarding the process ensuring their effectiveness," adding, "The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) has issued an authoritative interpretation and announced it will conduct a fact-finding investigation, so we are awaiting the results."
On the same day, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Kim Nam-seon also said, "Naver is a shareholder of the app market One Store and has always prepared alternatives such as third-party payments. This was not an overnight occurrence but a foreseeable event, and regardless of the regulations, we will collaborate with payment partners to maintain profitability."
Meanwhile, the KCC is investigating Google's restriction on outlink payment methods, judging that it may violate the 'Google Gapjil Prevention Act.' Recently, Google has restricted web payment outlinks, effectively mandating in-app payments, putting app developers in a position where they must be cautious of Google's update restrictions or app removal actions within Google Play.
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