Smartphone users hit 20 mln mark in S Korea

The number of smartphone subscribers in South Korea surpassed 20 million last week, with about 40 percent of South Koreans carrying the mobile device, the country' s telecom regulator said Sunday. Data released by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) showed that the number of smartphone users exceeded 20 million as of Oct. 28, with 10 million of them subscribing to industry leader SK Telecom Co., 6.8 million to KT Corp. and 3.3 million to LG Uplus Corp. The 20 million users also meant over 80 percent of the country' s economically active population of 25 million carrying the smart gadget. SK Telecom, the country's top mobile service provider, told Yonhap news agency that the swift development of the smartphone trend has come on the back of various kinds of smartphones and growth policies that include supporting smartphone application developers. South Korea has witnessed a rapid increase in smartphone subscriptions since the arrival of Apple's iPhone in the country in November 2009. Smartphone subscribers comprised a mere 1.7 percent of overall mobile phone users at the end of 2009, but surged to represent 14. 2 percent just a year later, according to the data. The portion is forecast to reach 42 percent at the end of this year. The growing use of smartphones has brought many lifestyle changes, especially in the way people communicate with each other. "I can communicate with my friends at any time, in any place, and in any situation, thanks to my iPhone," said Han Seul-ah, a 20-year-student in Seoul. "Social network services like Facebook and Twitter that are available on smartphones allow me to get real-time information on all my friends," said 31-year-old Kim Hyun-soo. "I must say smartphones help me save money and time because I don't even have to call or send a text message to see how my acquaintances are doing." Youngsters in South Korea make up the majority part of smartphone users due to the convenience the mobile device provides in staying connected to people and the things they are interested in. The data by the KCC also showed that the smartphone market would be the fastest growing sector in the country's saturated wireless service market as mobile carriers are in a rush to offer faster and larger data streaming long-term evolution (LTE) services for customers.