A deal by Microsoft Corp to persuade a Korean software company to dump the country’s most popular word processing program in return for investment of $20m had led to a patriotic outcry – and a possible antitrust probe. Struggling Hangul and Computer Co, whose word processing package is used on eight out of every ten PCs in Korea, has come under fierce criticism from users who have voiced strong protests in online discussion groups. It’s like a death sentence for the Korean word processor, said one user. More seriously for Microsoft, which sees the deal as a way to propel Word into market leadership from its present 10% market share, Korea’s fair trade regulatory body is investigating the legality of the deal. The investment could be problematic if it was made in return for the renunciation of a certain business, said an official. Samsung Electronics Co, which produces a word processor called Hoonminjongeum, will fight Microsoft with a local product. We will expand our market share not by resorting to patriotism but through the development of our product, said a Samsung official.
