Global Media Intelligence 2021: South Korea

Noteworthy in 2021

PC penetration is trending down, but internet users spent more time with larger screens than with mobile devices.

  • In H1 2021, South Korea’s internet users ages 16 to 64 spent an average 3 hours, 6 minutes (3:06) daily with PCs and tablets, and 2:40 on their mobile phones. Time spent with desktops, laptops, and tablets had increased by a few minutes year over year (YoY); mobile time fell by a similar margin.
  • Smartphone penetration shrank slightly in South Korea between H1 2020 and H1 2021 to 96.9%. A mere 2.2% of respondents had a feature phone.
  • PC penetration also drifted down in H1 2021, to 81.0%. However, tablet ownership climbed for the second year in a row, to 39.1%. As in 2020, affluent internet users and those ages 16 to 24 were more likely to own either device. Some gender-related differences also persisted: Males were more likely than females to own a desktop or laptop, but the opposite was true for tablets.

authors

Karin von Abrams

Contributors

Anam Baig
Senior Editor
Joanne DiCamillo
Magenta Fox
Senior Chart Editor
Donte Gibson
Chart Editor
Kathleen Hamblin
Chart Editorial Manager
Dana Hill
Director of Production
Erika Huber
Copy Editor
Hilary Rengert
VP, Research Strategy
Amanda Silvestri
Senior Copy Editor
Ali Young
Research Editor