Authorities in South Korea are set to impose penalties on Apple for forcing mobile operators to cover costs for iPhone advertising and device repairs, Business Korea reported.

The newspaper said that following a long-running investigation into the smartphone company’s practices, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) concluded the handset manufacturer abused its market position to force local operators to cover the cost of various product promotions and aftercare.

Apple Korea is also accused of imposing its own advertising guidelines without sharing any associated costs.

The company is now required to respond to the authority’s claims, before an FTC meeting to decide what, if any, penalties should be enforced.

Korean authorities have been regularly critical of Apple’s business practices since the iPhone’s market entry in 2009.

In late 2015 the FTC probed its repair policies following a raft of complaints, while six months later it began its investigation into its contract terms with operators. In 2017, authorities raided the company’s offices to gather further evidence.

Consumer groups in Korea have also slammed the company, despite its apparent success with customers.

Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty filed a criminal action against Apple CEO Tim Cook earlier this year, in one of a number of international law suits based around a power management feature which impaired the performance of older iPhones.

Business Korea said there were also a number of complaints from consumers about the high price of Apple’s handsets in the country. Figures compiled by Mobile World Live following the release of Apple’s most recent flagship – the iPhone X – found South Korea was the second most expensive country in Asia to buy the device, behind India.