The Law in Question
The South Korean government has come up with an amended enforcement decree of the Telecommunications Business Act so that users can remove pre-loaded smartphone apps. Nevertheless, it is said that pre-loaded apps provided by foreign companies such as Google and Apple will still not be removable and South Korean companies will be discriminated against.
The enforcement decree stipulates that inappropriate blocking of software removal is prohibited in a case where the software is not essential for realizing a function of an electrical communication device such as a smartphone. According to it, the Korea Communications Commission is to launch an investigation whenever a report is filed on the prohibition of pre-loaded app removal. The arbitrary word ‘inappropriate’, however, has been added to the ordinance decree at the request of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea and this word could lead to controversies during such investigations.
In addition, lots of things should be looked into during the course, including whether a pre-loaded app under investigation is essential or not, how it affects the use of the phone on which it is installed and how it affects competition in app markets. This is likely to take much time while active cooperation by global enterprises such as Apple and Google cannot be guaranteed.
Back in 2012, an average of 80 pre-loaded apps was found on a smartphone in South Korea. The government came up with some guidelines and then the number has dropped to 30 or so. Those still remaining and defying removal by users include apps provided by mobile carriers and handset manufacturers as well as OS apps of Google and Apple such as YouTube, Maps and iBooks.