The competition authority in South Korea has fined Google a sum of $177 million, they accused the US technology company of abusing its dominant position in the market.

Google receives $177 million fine in South Korea

According to Yonhap News (via Engadget), the issue is the anti-fragmentation agreement (AFA) Google makes manufacturers sign in exchange for using its Android operating system hampers competition. For the South Korean competition authority, this agreement prevents South Korean companies such as Samsung and LG from creating their own versions of Android.

Read more:

• Against Taliban, Google blocks accounts of former Afghan government members
• Facebook will create a commission to handle elections
• Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter and others unite to fight the far-right
• One of the pandemic’s big apps ‘Houseparty’ will close in October

In a statement sent to Bloomberg and CNBC, the tech giant argued that Android and its compatibility program sped up innovation and improved user experience, benefiting companies that include Korean manufacturers.

In addition to the fine, the South Korean competition authority also decided to prevent Google from forcing South Korean companies to sign such a contract or from modifying current agreements.