Google Korea faces stern antitrust sanction

The Fair Trade Commission investigated Google Korea this week by sending its inspectors to the headquarters, marking the fourth antitrust investigation including a raid last September.

While the regulator’s raid on Google’s Korean unit in southern Seoul was the result of a joint-complaint by local Internet portals it is alleged the U.S.-based tech giant hindered the FTC from conducting an ordinary probe.

The allegation of obstructing civil servants’ on-the-spot investigation could yield an intensive probe and stern punitive action the FTC, according to market observers.

The Google Seoul office initially under antitrust investigation last September for allegedly seeking monopolistic status among search engines in contracts with smartphone manufacturers.

NHN and Daum Communications have continued to argue that Google Korea has instructed smartphone manufacturers not to include applications provided by Korean search engines.

They claimed that Google Korea had pressured the smartphone companies to include only Google Search or its own applications on Android-powered devices.

An FTC official said the probe is focused on the issue of whether the company sought to abuse its power as the world’s largest search engine in the smartphone application market.

Another issue is that the Google Korea unit has been suspected of concealing related documents and hampering inspectors’ on-the-spot probe.

Aside from the allegations involving the antitrust rules, the FTC is likely to widen the scope of its inquiry as to whether the practice is a violation of the civil servants law, according to market observers.

Google denied the allegation even though it promised to cooperate with the investigation of the Korean regulator.

“We will work with the KFTC to address any questions they may have about our business,” a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying by a local news provider.

The spokesman said that Android is an open platform and carrier and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) partners are free to decide which applications and services to include on their Android phones.

Last year, Google came under investigation by U.S. and European antitrust regulators.

As the investigation came following Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility in August 2011, industry sources expected that worldwide regulatory pressure on the search giant would get more severe.

FTC senior officials said that the Google Korea issue could greatly affect the Korean economy.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldm.com)

Facebook introduces ‘promoted posts’

(Bloomberg)

Facebook has launched a new service called promoted posts which guarantees exposure of posts at a cost.

The feature, recently being tested in New Zealand, was officially introduced Thursday on the Facebook site.

“Promoted posts help increase the people you reach for any eligible post,” said a Facebook staffer on the video. “It’s an easy and fast way to reach more of the people that Like your page and your friends.”

The cost of the promoted posts ranges from $5 ensuring 700 views to $20 reaching 2,200 people.

The service will be available to anyone with a page with more than 400 Likes.



By Sim Guk-by
Intern Reporter

(simgukby@heraldm.com)

Police: Facebook pic led to robbery

Police in Australia are warning people to be cautious online after a picture of cash posted to Facebook led to a home invasion robbery.

New South Wales police said a 17-year-old girl was helping her 72-year-old grandmother count her savings at the older woman's Sydney home May 24 and the teenager posted a picture of the large amount of cash to her Facebook page.

Police said two men armed with a knife and a wooden club entered the Bundanoon home of the girl's 47-year-old mother while she was home with a 58-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy.

The men demanded to speak to the girl about the cash and the mother told the men her daughter no longer lived there.

The men took a small amount of cash from the home, police said.

New South Wales police said the incident highlights the need for caution when posting photographs and personal information on social media sites. (UPI)

Trade surplus widens to $2.4b in May

South Korea’s trade surplus widened slightly in May from the previous month as exports shrank at a slower pace than imports, a government report showed Friday.

The country’s trade balance was $2.4 billion in the black last month, up from the $2.1 billion surplus tallied in April, according to the report by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. Last month marked the fourth month in a row that the country posted a trade surplus, although trade volume contracted for the third straight month compared to the year before.

Exports came to $47.2 billion last month, down 0.4 percent on-year, with imports also contracting 1.2 percent to $44.8 billion, the report said.

“The slight decrease in exports was caused by mounting global economic uncertainties that have hurt trade across the board,” the ministry said.

While autoparts, general machinery and steel have done well, there was a sharp drop in overseas demand for ships, mobile communications equipment and petrochemicals, it added.

Overseas shipments of car parts and general machinery, which benefited from free trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, rose 11.9 percent and 10.3 percent last month vis-a-vis May 2011, while steel and automobiles gained 6.2 percent and 3.7 percent, each.

Exports of ships and mobile communication equipment plunged 17.4 percent and 35.7 percent, respectively, while petrochemicals were down 17.1 percent on-year.

(Yonhap News)

Lee enjoys big month

May was a big month for the Orix Buffaloes’ slugger Lee Dae-ho after hitting eight homers.

Lee ended his second month in the Pacific League with a batting average of .277 which is likely to only keep rising as he ended the month with a six-game hitting streak.

Lee Dae-ho rounds the bases after hitting a home run. (Yonhap News)

Up from .233 at the beginning of the month, Lee could possibly add more to the board on Saturday against the Tohuku Golden Eagles after a day’s rest.

And looking at the number of homers Lee has this early in the season, it seems as though he has already adjusted to the Japanese pitchers.

Lee sits at the top of his league in home runs and is second in Nippon Professional Baseball. But the behemoth slugger, standing at 194 centimeters and weighing in at 130 kilograms, looks to be a strong contender as Japan’s home run king with more than two-thirds of the season left to go.

Lee had an abysmal first month in the Japanese league with only two home runs and a handful of hits, with many Japanese fans questioning the signing of the veteran hitter.

But now it will be hard for Japanese fans to ignore Lee’s formidable hitting power.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldm.com)