Social media has become a powerful advertising tool. Social media advertising attracts traffic, influences, inspires and persuades. By 2027, social commerce is predicted to be worth $605 billion.

South Korea has one of the most vibrant and diverse social media ecosystems and is the first country in the world to launch 5G. 98% of the Korean population has access to high-speed internet and 90.5% use smartphones.

South Korea's online marketplace
South Korea's online market is characterised by high retail activity, with users spending at least 30 minutes a day shopping online, mainly on social networks. According to independent experts, more than 45% of the world's World Wide Web audience is concentrated in the Asian region.

Which are the most popular social networks in Korea? This is a difficult question to answer. HLTS has analysed reports from statistical agencies that collect data on Korean users and consumers. They differ in some respects, so we have gathered as much information as possible and would like to share it with you. For example, OpenSurvey and Global Digital included YouTube in their statistics, even though the platform is not a social network. And Oosga, like the Global 2023 report, put the KakaoTalk app, which is mostly used domestically, at the top of the list.

Popular social networks in South Korea
Young Koreans (10 to 20 years old) prefer Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Older people (40 to 50 years old) use KakaoStory and Naver Band the most. According to another study, YouTube is the most popular platform in Korea and is used (53.6% monthly) to "get interest-based content".

The most popular in Korea are (in descending order)

• KakaoTalk
• YouTube
• Naver Band
• Naver Blog
• Instagram
• Facebook
• KakaoStory
• Twitter

KakaoTalk
KakaoTalk is a free mobile instant messaging application (in 2023, it will have 53.5 million monthly active users worldwide, of which 48.2 million in Korea). It is not a social network in the traditional sense, with a user profile and public channels. KakaoTalk users can add new contacts and friends, send free voice messages, participate in group chats, make purchases, and share photos and videos.

The platform allows for targeted advertising and media promotion, taking into account: user demographics, actions, interests and similar audiences.

Naver band and Naver blog
Naver is a Google-like search engine with a huge audience. Naver used to be the largest search engine in South Korea, but has since been overtaken by Google. Today, Naver is still visited by more than 28 million people every day. And more than 25 million South Koreans use it as their home page!

Naver is closely related to Naver Band and Naver Blog. Naver Blog is a blogging platform launched in October 2003. It is a cross between a content management system (CMS) and a social network. Naver Band is a social network with over 14 million registered users. It can replace several services at the same time: blog, photo sharing, calendar and events. It has a comfortable and intuitive interface and supports English.

This is important! Naver Search highlights content published on the Naver blog. All other things being equal, if there are two blog posts that answer a search query, Naver will display the post from its platform.

Naver only indexes content in South Korean, although foreign users and companies can register for free. If you are not Korean or don't speak the language, it is imperative that your page/advertisement/announcement is written in Korean. The experts at HLTS Co. Ltd.

About Facebook
Facebook has an advertising reach of 13 million users in South Korea. Facebook was originally built on the idea of real social connections and trust. This is why the platform remains so popular, both globally and in Korea. Users add their friends, colleagues and old classmates - Facebook's geography is sometimes grandiose. New content appears in the main Facebook feed alongside posts from the user's real social network. This makes it possible to promote and spread posts in an almost viral way. In Korea, Facebook is more popular among male users, who make up 60 per cent of the advertising audience.

Instagram
Instagram is a powerful social media and visual platform that is ideal for selling stylish and eye-catching products. Users spend an average of 30 minutes a day on the platform. Instagram makes it quick and easy to upload new content. On Naver, this process can take hours! Instagram Reels, a short video format, and videos posted on TikTok have been the most popular in recent years.

South Korea's largest group of Instagram users - people aged 25 to 34 - accounted for 35 percent, and those aged 18 to 24 accounted for 27.5 percent.

KakaoStory
KakaoStory is another popular social networking site in South Korea. It is a kind of diary where you can post your thoughts, photos, videos, music, comment on your friends' posts and mark your attitude (different kinds of likes). It is linked to a KakaoTalk account.

KKS was launched in 2012 as a photo-sharing network similar to Instagram or Facebook. However, the platform's functionality has expanded over time. Like Instagram, KakaoStory relies heavily on its app to interact with users.

YouTube
YouTube is not a social network, but in user surveys it is more popular than Facebook and Naver Blog in South Korea. It is a powerful promotional and outreach tool. Like KakaoStory, YouTube helps you really get to know your target audience and build trust. With a good video, it is easy to "sell" an idea: combining emotionally charged images, music, script and editing.

Twitter
The micro-blogging service is actively developing in the Korean market. Twitter believes it is a promising geographical area for further business development. According to the survey, Twitter is used by 7.3 per cent of respondents in South Korea.

Social Media Marketing in South Korea
The best marketing strategy in any part of the world is a comprehensive synergistic plan, and HLTS Co. Ltd uses its expertise to promote the business of partners and clients on South Korean social media.