South Korea's parliament passed a bill Tuesday to ban Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google from forcing app developers to use their mobile platforms' in-app payment systems.

The bill passed in the National Assembly amends the Telecommunications Business Act to allow mobile content businesses to use alternative payment systems and give consumers a choice in how to pay for in-app content.

According to local media, this makes South Korea the first country to introduce such curbs on global tech giants' in-app billing policies. However, similar legislation was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate, for example.

App developers charge users for purchase of the app and for optional functions within the app, as well as for digital content such as games, music, and comics.

But both Apple and Google typically receive commissions of up to 30 percent on purchases made through their app stores and exclude alternative payment handlers.

==Kyodo

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