Comscore Releases First Public Report of Online Usage in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea, June 8, 2009 – Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its first overview of Web usage in South Korea. The report includes a ranking of the most visited Internet properties, based on the Comscore World Metrix audience measurement service, and the top search properties, based on the Comscore qSearch service. In April 2009, 28 million people in South Korea age 15 and older accessed the Internet from home and work locations, consuming an average of 4,158 pages of content and spending an average of 26 hours per person online.
“South Korea is regarded as one of the most wired nations in the world, with its high broadband penetration rate and tech savvy population,” said Will Hodgman, Comscore executive vice president. “In contrast to other countries around the world where global brands comprise the top Web properties, the South Korean Internet landscape is represented predominantly by local brands. That so many developed local players exist is a testament to South Korea’s technological leadership and its early investment in the online industry.”
NHN Corporation is South Korea’s Most Visited Web Property
Local South Korean companies represent the majority of top Internet properties in the country. NHN Corporation ranked as the top Internet destination in South Korea with 22.7 million visitors in April 2009, reaching 81 percent of the total online population. Daum ranked in second place with 20.5 million visitors (73 percent reach), followed by SK Group, which includes CyWorld, with 20.2 million visitors (72 percent reach).
Top Internet Properties in South Korea Based on Unique VisitorsApril 2009Total South Korea Internet Audience*, Age 15+Home & Work LocationsSource: Comscore World Metrix
Total Unique Visitors (000)
% Reach
Total Internet : Total Audience
28,112
100.0
NHN Corporation
22,743
80.9
Daum
20,481
72.9
SK Group
20,150
71.7
gretech
14,683
52.2
Yahoo! Sites
12,224
43.5
KT Group
11,844
42.1
Microsoft Sites
11,353
40.4
Google Sites
10,351
36.8
eBay
9,980
35.5
JMnet (JoongAng Media Network)
9,256
32.9
TISTORY.COM
8,721
31.0
Chosun Ilbo
8,652
30.8
GMARKET.CO.KR
8,643
30.7
LG Group
8,190
29.1
Seoul Newspaper
7,912
28.1
Hankook Ilbo
7,491
26.6
CJ Group
7,259
25.8
PANDORA.TV
6,404
22.8
ALTOOLS.COM
6,217
22.1
TAGSTORY.COM
6,008
21.4
*Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.
NHN Corporation Leads South Korean Search Market
According to Comscore qSearch, 3.4 billion searches were conducted in South Korea in April, a 61-percent increase versus year ago. NHN Corporation, which includes Naver.com, led the search market with 2.1 billion searches conducted on its sites (62 percent search market share), followed by Daum with 680 million searches (20 percent) and Google Sites with 251 million searches (7 percent).
Top Search Properties in South Korea by Query Volume April 2009Total South Korea Internet Audience*, Age 15+ - Home & Work LocationsSource: Comscore qSearch
Searches (MM)
Share of Searches
Total Internet
3,449
2,135
61.9
680
19.7
251
7.3
140
4.1
132
3.8
24
0.7
21
0.6
Baidu.com Inc.
17
0.5
13
0.4
NeoWiz
7
0.2
*Excludes searches from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.
About Comscore
Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. In an independent survey of 800 of the most influential publishers, advertising agencies and advertisers conducted by William Blair & Company in January 2009, Comscore was rated the 'most preferred online audience measurement service' by 50% of respondents, a full 25 points ahead of its nearest competitor. Comscore's capabilities are based on a massive, global cross-section of approximately 2 million Internet users who have given Comscore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. Comscore panelists also participate in survey research that gathers and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Using its proprietary technology, Comscore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of digital behavior and attitudes, helping clients design more powerful marketing strategies that deliver superior ROI. With its acquisition of M:Metrics, Comscore is also a leading source of data on mobile usage. Comscore services are used by more than 1,100 clients, including global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, BBC, Carat, Cyworld, Deutsche Bank, France Telecom, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Financial Times, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestle, Starcom, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, the University of Chicago, Verizon Services Group and ViaMichelin. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.
Contact:Sarah RadwanickDirector, Regional Product MarketingComscore, Inc. +44 (0) 20 7099 1784worldpress@comscore.com