Republic of Korea: Announced KCC investigation into Naver over allegedly violating the Telecommunications Business Act

On 25 September 2023, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) announced that it has started an investigation into Naver News Service (Naver) over allegedly violating the Telecommunications Business Act. Naver is a South Korean search portal that holds a dominant position in Korea's media landscape, especially in the news sector, with a market share of 66.7%. The investigation follows concerns about unfair discrimination against specific users, unreasonable restrictions, and a failure to report important matters within Naver's news services. In particular, there are concerns around search result manipulation and discriminatory provision of services to media outlets. The KCC had previously been conducting a status inspection of Naver since 5 July 2023, which revealed possible breaches of prohibited acts, leading to the launch of a comprehensive fact-finding investigation, including on-site visits.