The Fair Trade Commission announced on the 22nd that it has initiated the consent resolution procedure regarding Google’s YouTube Premium product and will begin soliciting opinions from relevant organizations and stakeholders.
The Fair Trade Commission decided during a plenary meeting on the 14th to proceed with the consent resolution procedure based on the self-correction plan submitted by Google. The consent resolution system allows the commission to conclude a case without determining its legality if the business operator's proposed corrective measures are accepted.
This case stems from Google bundling features such as ad-free videos, background playback, and YouTube Music streaming services through its YouTube Premium product (monthly 14,900 won). Google has not offered a standalone YouTube video product apart from the standalone YouTube Music subscription (monthly 11,990 won). Accordingly, the Fair Trade Commission has been investigating whether consumer choice is limited and whether fair competition in the domestic music platform market has been undermined.
Through the self-correction plan, Google announced that it will launch a subscription product called "YouTube Premium Lite" in Korea, excluding YouTube Music. This plan includes features such as ad-free video viewing, background playback, and offline storage, but does not include YouTube Music. The product has already been launched in nine countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Thailand, making Korea the 10th country to adopt it.
In addition, Google announced it will create a content co-prosperity fund totaling 30 billion won to support the domestic music industry, artists, and creators. This is expected to include programs to support creators and collaborations with domestic music platforms.
In the future, the Fair Trade Commission plans to prepare a temporary consent resolution proposal, which will be presented to a plenary meeting after soliciting opinions and consulting with relevant organizations. If the consent resolution is confirmed, Google will implement corrective measures without legal sanctions; conversely, if the proposal is rejected, the process will shift to general sanction procedures.
A Fair Trade Commission official noted, "We will specify the corrective measures and co-prosperity support plan to prepare a temporary consent resolution proposal," adding, "We plan to submit the final consent resolution proposal to the plenary meeting after soliciting opinions from stakeholders and consulting with relevant organizations."