Social media in Korea
A high-tech hub
With one of the fastest internet networks in the world, Koreans are also enticed with the possibilities offered by their cell phones. They principally use smart phones to surf the Web, send emails, conduct banking transactions and access social networks. A recent government study has incidentally revealed that there is practically the same number of cell phones in Korea as inhabitants.
Well-established networks
Social media have undergone numerous recent transformations while their use has soared. According to a recent study, 25.7 million people (about half of the country’s population) visited a social networking site (such as Cyworld, Facebook or Twitter) last July, compared to 16 million a year before that. Korea thus ranks second behind Russia in terms of the enhanced growth of social network use in the world. More than 25% of the Korean population has a Cyworld account (a local social network) and nearly 90% of young people in their 20s have one. This shows the importance that these networks hold in the lives of Koreans.
It is similar to other networks, while offering a distinctive element: each user has a personal page that can be “personalised” as the user wants. Me2day, which is similar to Twitter, was set up by the search engine Naver that has experienced great success in Korea, despite the supremacy of Google.
The Western influence
In contrast to China and Japan, Western social networks like Twitter and Facebook have entered the market despite all the success of the local networks (Cyworld and Me2day). The use of Western social networks by Koreans (and Asians in general) and their commercial importance continue to increase in the eyes of the American Internet giants. So, Facebook recently opened a sales office in Singapore in order to increase its advertising revenue in Asia.
The high level of social media use by Koreans also changes the dynamic in the business world. More and more Korean companies use them to increase the visibility of their products and promotions. Online shopping centers have also been created in order to allow companies to benefit from this trend.
If you want to increase your online credibility and increase the portion of your Korean audience, we can help you develop a strategy, set up an official page for your brand as well as manage and guide your community on a daily basis, so wait no longer to contact our Korean and Asia experts.
