South Korean regulators have sent a statement of objections to Intel Corp following a two-year investigation into whether the U.S. microchip company violated antitrust laws.

Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) had issued its statement last week, but Korean law bars Intel from discussing the nature of the document.

The move comes after the European Union's executive Commission issued formal charges against Intel in July for allegedly using illegal tactics against smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices

AMD has accused Intel of offering discounts to computer makers that agreed to use Intel chips instead of ones from AMD. AMD has sued its rival in the United States, South America and other jurisdictions.

The two companies make all the central processing unit (CPU) chips at the heart of the world's 1 billion personal computers and servers.

The KFTC said earlier this week it had completed its investigation into Intel's market tactics, but would not release its conclusions until it had considered Intel's response. Once Intel responds, the watchdog has 30 days to review the case.

Intel said the statement was preliminary and the company would respond through an official process.

What we hope to be able to show the commission is that the microprocessor market is functioning normally, that it is fiercely competitive and that our business practices are lawful, pro-competitive and benefit consumers, Mulloy said.

A KFTC spokesman said on Wednesday Intel had been asked to submit its opinion. No deadline had been set for this.

The issue is whether Intel has abused its market-dominant position, the spokesman said.

In 2005, the KFTC fined Microsoft Corp $34 million, saying the world's biggest software company breached anti-trust laws by selling a version of its Windows operating system that incorporated its media player and instant messaging services.

Microsoft later released new versions of Windows in the South Korean market to comply with the ruling.

Intel