Nina Jobst
Research expert covering South Korea
Mobile internet usage in South Korea - Statistics & Facts
South Korea is known for its high-speed internet connection and widespread network accessibility. In 2019, 5G was implemented into South Korean networks, and mobile internet subscriptions in the country have been on the rise. Naturally, the share of internet traffic made up by mobile phone connections has grown accordingly and has exceeded 50 percent. Aside from profiting from easy access to one of the world’s fastest internet connections, most South Koreans also own a smartphone, so the world wide web is only one finger away.
What do South Koreans use mobile internet for?
Naturally, the world wide web offers a large variety of uses. Nowadays, the internet is usually accessed via mobile devices – be it apps directly for internet browsers or many other applications to follow their function and access information. The most popular category of mobile applications was communication, so instant messengers like South Korea’s favorite KakaoTalk and other social media services. Following were picture and video apps, as well as other media applications used for music, reading, and more. Online media are rather popular in South Korea, and video streaming and mobile gaming have increased throughout the years, being readily available throughout the day – even on public transport. Mobile devices are also often used to manage finances and to access mobile banking on one’s phone. Often, a security app has to be installed in addition to the bank’s app, leading to high installations of apps like V3 Mobile Plus.Who are the mobile internet users in South Korea?
Recently, between 99 and 100 percent of those aged between six and 59 years owned a smartphone, only slightly dropping off to around 97 percent for those in their sixties and then to about 68 percent for people older than 70. Despite other age groups owning mobile devices, people aged 20 to 59 made up the majority of application users for all categories. Men tended to access mobile apps for games, cars, and investments, while women held the most significant user share for apps about pet animals and fashion.
