Corporate watchdog investigating large-scale antitrust case: chief

SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's corporate watchdog is investigating a large-scale antitrust case that is comparable in size to that involving Qualcomm Inc., its chief said Tuesday.

In late 2016, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) slapped U.S. mobile phone chipmaker Qualcomm with a record fine of 1.03 trillion won (US$970 million) for abusing its dominant position in the mobile communications market.

"We are dealing with a case which could rival the punishment slapped on Qualcomm," FTC Chairman Kim Sang-jo said during a speech in a forum.

But the antitrust watchdog did not reveal which business the FTC was investigating.

Market sources speculate that the case may be about Google Inc.'s abuse of power in the mobile game platform market.

Kim earlier said the FTC has been investigating Google for its alleged unfair practices in the mobile game platform sector.

sam@yna.co.kr
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