China Halts Shipments of Nvidia H200 AI Chips, Forcing Suppliers to Pause Production 
Baidu Shares Rise in Hong Kong After Apollo Go Robotaxi Launch in Abu Dhabi 
California Attorney General Orders xAI to Halt Illegal Grok Deepfake Imagery 
Proposed Rio Tinto–Glencore Merger Faces China Regulatory Hurdles and Asset Sale Pressure 
BYD Shares Rise in Hong Kong on Reports of Battery Supply Talks With Ford 
U.S. Moves to Expand Chevron License and Control Venezuelan Oil Sales 
Jamie Dimon Signals Possible Five More Years as JPMorgan CEO Amid Ongoing Succession Speculation 
White House Pressures PJM to Act as Data Center Energy Demand Threatens Grid Reliability 
China’s AI Models Narrow the Gap With the West, Says Google DeepMind CEO 
U.S. Transportation Board Sends Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern Merger Back for Revision 
One Percent Rule Checklist For Safer Forex Trading Risk 
Syrah Resources and Tesla Extend Deadline on Graphite Supply Dispute to March 
Microsoft Strikes Landmark Soil Carbon Credit Deal With Indigo Carbon to Boost Carbon-Negative Goal 
China Considers New Rules to Limit Purchases of Foreign AI Chips Amid Growing Demand 
xAI Restricts Grok Image Editing After Sexualized AI Images Trigger Global Scrutiny 
Google emphasized that the enforcement of its app market's billing system, which charges a 30 percent fee, would only affect 2 percent of South Korean app developers.
According to Google, nearly 97 percent of those that sell digital goods already use the Play's billing system.
Google added that it made the language in its payments policy more explicit making all developers selling digital goods in their apps to use Google Play's billing system.
Many apps have circumvented the rule by using other systems, such as direct credit card payments.
Google is giving app developers one-year to adopt the system and would start enforcing the billing system on the Play store's new apps Jan. 20.
Last month, the Korea Internet Corporations Association (KICA)
requested the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) to look into the then planned policy changes.
KICA, which represents major local tech companies, such as top portal operator Naver Corp., lamented that the move would result in more fees on app users and further solidify Google's dominance.
Last year, Google's Play Store posted sales of 6 trillion won in South Korea, representing 63.4 percent of total app store sales in the country.
Apple's App Store had a 24.4 percent stake at 2.3 trillion won, according to the Korea Mobile Internet Business Association.
Local app developers added that Google's move could be violative of local rules against unfairly restricting for users from choosing services.
KCC Chairman, Han Sang-hyuk, views Google's billing system as a violation and is currently reviewing it.
Purnima Kochikar, a director at Google Play, pointed out that developers are not required to use Google Play as Android provides other options, such as Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Store and ONE Store.
Google also pointed out that Naver and Kakao Corp., who operate unique billing systems to meet domestically, achieved success overseas by enjoying the convenience built by Google Play's billing system.
