In South Korea, the country’s most popular social network and messaging platform, Kakao, with 152 million users, generated 546 million Korean Won (just over a half million US dollars) from gaming applications along in the first half of 2014, up from 348 million KRW in the same period in 2013 –
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KakaoTalk (Korean: 카카오톡) is a free mobile Instant Messaging application for smartphones with free text and free call features. The app is also used by 93% of smartphone owners in South Korea and has 152 million users as of October 2014. It appears as the 8th most used messaging application worldwide, with a 5% share of mobile internet users, just behind Snapchat.
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Future revenues for this popular platform may be much more difficult from this point forward, as users are leaving the platform in droves (400,000 in recent days). This follows wide-spread criticism of the government of President Park Geun-hye that began when 304 people died in the South Korean Sewol ferry sinking disaster in April of this year. The president has now pledged to prosecute people spreading rumors about government members and Kakao is one of the primary targets.
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Kakao is headquartered in South Korea and their messaging application is used by 70% of the country’s 50 million population. Users have reported receiving notices that their accounts have been searched. Some 400,000 users have deserted the app, turning to other platforms including Telegram Messenger, an encrypted messaging platform, based in Germany and created by the folks who created Russia’s largest social network – Vkontakte, who says that 1.5 million new South Korean accounts were created in the 7 days following the news breaking about Kakao being targeted. Telegrams chat options uses end to end encryption which means that the company couldn’t hand over messages even if requested.
With 41 million internet users, South Korea is also one of the countries with the highest online penetration within the Asia Pacific region. Internet usage penetration in South Korea is high across all age groups with near universal adoption throughout the population until the age of 50; before dropping towards retirement age. Popular internet usage reasons within the country are information and data, leisure activities such as digital media consumption as well as online communications and e-commerce.
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South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea) is one of the most connected countries in the world. It has the world’s fastest average Internet connection speed at 2,202 kbps – almost four times the world average.
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Out of a populace of 50 million, 41 million are internet users, giving it one of Asia’s highest internet penetration rates.
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However the amount of time spent both on the Internet and on Social sites is relatively low compared to other Asian countries – perhaps because of the high speed connections everything loads much quicker!
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South Korea is one of the most wired societies, with 82% percent of its people online and 40 million smartphones. Internet usage is rife, with users spending an average of 14.7 hours weekly online. According to Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA), South Koreans use the Internet mainly for gathering information or data followed by engaging in leisure activities and communicating.
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Perhaps because Korea is the home of mobile device producer Samsung it has a high mobile phone internet usage rate. It’s easy to get connected. The country also boasts one of the highest number of Wi-Fi locations available, more than the UK and significantly more than the USA.
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The country is home to one of the world’s largest blogging communities, with popular native sites including
Naver Blog and Daum Blogs. However, in February 2012, Facebook surpassed the reach of local social network Cyworld, according to a May 2012 report by Nielsen Korean. Twitter has had a phenomenal impact in South Korea with users having an active user rate two times higher than the world average.
Regulation and Restriction
Despite all this connectivity, there are some interesting regulations for one of the most digitally advanced countries. There is for instance a curfew restricting school age children from playing online games at night – if you’re an adult, you need to provide your resident registration details in order to play.
Many of the security restrictions stem from the Korean War – map data for instance can’t be exported to prevent it falling into the hands of the North Koreans. The regulatory panel, the Korea Communications Standards Commission, also blocks material on the Web that it deems objectionable, this includes pornography, which it’s illegal to produce in Korea.
The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) is responsible for regulating broadcasting and the regulation of internet sites under the Law on Promotion of Use of Information Network and Information Protection.
User Identification
Korea has a user identification system that applies to portals, internet sites and services for user created content for those who provide content to an average daily user base of 100,000 or more. It is required by law to register personal details, including your real name in order to use online forums and chatrooms.
Additionally, under the Law on Promotion of Use of Information Communications Network and Information Protection, the distribution of the following types of information through the information communications network is prohibited:
- any information related to the distribution, sale, lease or public exhibition of obscene content;
- repeated delivery of content that causes fear or anxiety;
- any information that damages, destroys, deletes, modifies or forges information communications systems, data or programs or interferes with their use without a justifiable reason;
- information that discloses national secrets.
- information related to speculative activities prohibited by law; and
- information that aims to achieve a crime or aids or abets others to commit a crime.
In this regard, the KCC has the authority to order the information communications service provider or the operator or manager of the relevant posting board to refuse, discontinue or restrict the processing of the foregoing information, subject to fulfilment of certain conditions. Any party that fails to comply with such an order may be subject to imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 10 million Korean won.
South Korean law also generally restricts contact with North Korean persons.
Defamation
Covered under the Criminal Code, defamation with an intent to slander can lead to 3 years in prison and a 7 million KRW (US $ 6,600) fine. False allegations can lead to 7 years in prison, suspension of rights or qualifications and a 15 million KRW (US$14,185) fine. If these allegations are made via an information communications network, then the fines can rise to 20 million KRW (US$18,914). This is in addition to the sanctions covered under the Criminal code. There are additional remedies under Korea’s Civil Code, which provide for the publication of a correction report and/or damages.
There have also been recent rulings by Korea’s Supreme Court, against the operator of an internet portal website where the operator failed to delete defamatory user generated postings and to block similar postings. In this case the operator was aware of the postings and the technical controls to remove and prevent such postings were available.
Sedition
Distributing information through an information communications network for the purpose of conducting or aiding a crime is prohibited under the Law on Promotion of Use of Information Communications Network and Information Protection. In this case, if the information communications service provider fails to comply with the KCC by discontinuing or restricting the relevant information then there’s a 2 year prison sentence and a fine of up to 10 million KRW that can come into effect.
Misleading Advertising
The Korean Communications Standards Commission (KOCSC) is required to review all advertisements that are broadcast under the Broadcasting Law, additionally any advertising that could deceive or mislead consumers is prohibited under the Fair Labelling and Advertising Law.
Restricted product advertising
It is forbidden under the KOCSC Rules for Review of Broadcast Advertising to broadcast advertisements for financial services products that have not been approved or registered. Many other services (such as massage parlours and gambling) are also restricted. These rules also apply to Cable TV, Mobile and Radio
When it comes to online content, the Information Communications Review Committee regulates this in accordance with the Law on Promotion of Use of Information Communications Network and Information Protection. The Information Communications Review Committee is currently preparing separate rules for regulating online advertisements.
Korea’s populace are comfortable using information communication networks for messaging, for ecommerce and financial transactions and with 94.4% using at least one social network, it’s certainly the most (and fastest) connected country we’ve come across in our travels to date. Now, I just need to either hope that the information becomes much more available in English, or significantly improve my Korean!
Kamsahamnida from Korea, we’ll see you in Japan!
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Guest blogger, social media guru, and citizen of the world Sarah Carter regulary shares her nomadic travel experiences and social insights here with our blog audience. To learn more about Sarah and her exciting travels, follow @SarahActiance on Twitter.
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