Google and Meta Replace Domestic Representatives with Korean Corporations... Effect of Google Representative Act in Korea

It was confirmed on the 5th that Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) have replaced their 'domestic representatives' from existing paper companies to separate corporations newly established by their Korean branches or headquarters.

This is interpreted as a measure following the enforcement of the amended Telecommunications Business Act, known as the 'Google Representative Act,' which came into effect in May to prevent global big tech companies from evading responsibilities arising from their business activities in Korea by appointing paper companies as domestic representatives.

The amended law requires that domestic representatives, who handle user protection duties in Korea on behalf of overseas headquarters, must not be operated merely in form. It mandates that representatives be designated as domestic corporations established by overseas headquarters or domestic corporations where overseas headquarters appoint executives and exercise dominant influence over business operations.

Google changed its domestic representative from Transcosmos Korea to Google Korea, and Meta announced the establishment of Meta Communication Agent Limited Company.

A Meta official stated, "We understand that Meta headquarters newly designated the domestic representative in accordance with the amendment to the Telecommunications Business Act," adding, "Meta Korea is a corporation that provides advertising sales support services and is not involved in the domestic representative duties of Meta headquarters."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.