NHN files court complaint over watchdog ruling

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SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- NHN Corp., operator of South Korea's largest Internet portal Naver, said Monday it has recently filed a complaint with a Seoul court over antitrust regulators designating the company as a "market-dominant" player.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's corporate watchdog, ordered the
company to pay a fine and take corrective measures for providing "unfair" support
to its subsidiary, describing the Internet giant as a market-dominant company.
The company filed the court complaint with the Seoul High Court on Saturday,
stating that the FTC's decision stemmed from a "misunderstanding" of competition
in the portal market.
"We are not even in the lead position in the (online) video market... and have
not gotten involved in unfairly impeding business activities," the complaint
read.
NHN added that support to its unit has not prompted any competition-hindering
effects, citing that the subsidiary isn't involved in any external sales
activity.
The FTC designated NHN as the market-dominant company in the Internet portal
market, citing that its sales in 2006 accounted for 48.5 percent of total market
sales figures.