The National Assembly-passed bill would ban app-store operators from requiring use of their checkout process and from removing third-party apps. A regulator could levy fines of up to three per cent of their South Korea revenue for non-compliance. (The Wall Street Journal)

Talking point: South Korea is a relatively small market for Apple and Google, but the law could serve as a template for other governments conducting competition probes of the tech giants’ app store practices. The firms’ revenues from services, which include the 15 or 30 per cent commission they charge on download fees and in-app purchases, are a small but important part of their businesses. Apple and Google claimed South Korea’s move could hurt consumers by increasing fraud and privacy risks.