Google faces South Korea antitrust hearing over ‘Project Hug’ app-market deals
By Jenny Lee ( July 1, 2026, 07:29 GMT | Insight) -- Google is heading into formal antitrust proceedings in South Korea over allegations that it used a program known as “Project Hug” to keep major game publishers tied to its Play Store and shut out rival app marketplaces. The Korea Fair Trade Commission said Wednesday that it had sent an examiner’s report to Google, formally opening deliberations over what investigators described as a serious abuse of dominance in the Android app market. The probe followed complaints filed in November 2024 by civic and gaming-user groups and included reviews of litigation materials in other countries, on-site inspections and witness interviews.Google is heading into formal antitrust proceedings in South Korea over allegations that it used a program known as “Project Hug” to keep major game publishers tied to its Play Store and shut out rival app marketplaces....
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