(Photo= Yonhap news)

 

[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Sangjin] Peter Denwood, the representative of Apple Korea, distanced the company from the recent scandal involving the leak of personal data from KakaoPay to China, stating that it was "a matter for Alipay to handle." When asked about the KRW 20.5 billion fine imposed by the South Korean government for allegedly forcing consumers into its in-app payment system, Denwood responded, "We comply with Korean laws."

During a comprehensive audit session of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee on the 24th, Denwood addressed a question from lawmaker Kim Jae-seop regarding whether Apple had forced KakaoPay to send all payment information to Alipay. He replied, "I cannot discuss the details of the contract between KakaoPay and Alipay," adding that it was difficult to disclose specifics due to the ongoing investigation.

Previously, the Financial Supervisory Service reported that KakaoPay had transmitted personal credit information of over 40 million users to the Chinese fintech company Alipay without customer consent. KakaoPay stated that this was done at Apple's request for the calculation of the NSF score (customer credit score), claiming it was a procedure under a custodial relationship that did not require customer consent.

When asked whether this was done under coercion, Denwood explained, "Apple receives NSF from Alipay, and Alipay operates this way for customer protection in transactions. How Alipay conducts risk assessments is entirely up to them. Apple does not interfere in how data is viewed in the NSF scoring process."

 

 

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