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.