(Telecompaper) South Korea's antitrust agency said it is considering an investigation into whether Qualcomm misused its dominant market position. A spokesman for the Fair Trade Commission told local news agency Yonhap that all options were under consideration, but declined to confirm whether an official investigation had started. The unnamed spokesman said the regulator was looking at the recent action taken by Chinese authorities to fine Qualcomm for abusing its dominant position in the mobile phone chip market and whether the US-based company engaged in similar activities in the Korean market. In China, Qualcomm was fined CNY 6.1 billion and forced to agree to substantial changes to its licensing practices and fees. Industry sources in Korea said that the FTC had sent initial inquiries to Qualcomm customers and competitors to get a better understanding of market conditions. The FTC already fined Qualcomm KRW 260 billion (USD 235 million) in 2009 after concluding that it abused its dominant position in selling chips to mobile phone makers in Korea.