South Korean's - Most Highly Connected in the World!

South Korea has the most DSL connection per head out of any country in the world!! Thanks to a government initiative, connecting South Koreans to the internet has been a huge success! On top of this, the speed at which the internet works is the fastest, and the cost of receiveing and using the internet the lowest. It is estimated that 80% of South Korean households have a computer and a whopping 98% of those households use it for the internet.


On top of internet usage, the figure for people in South Korea who own mobile phones is 98%! The main uses for mobile phones in the country are your standed calls and texts, but also a huge amount of TV watching, gameing, instant messaging, general internet browsing and social networking is going on. Contributing to this is the huge consumer electronics companies Samsung and LG which are South Korean in origin and who often roll out their products to test on the South Korean market first up! This means South Koreans are highly technologically literate, continually upgrade their devices and learn new mechanisms and their applications quickly.


A June 2011 IDC press release revealed a recent survey showed social networking and instant messaging emerged at the top of the list of things people do on their smart phones; and the research showed in the space of a year, internet usage on smart phones in South Korea had quadrupled.


This, working in conjunction with freedom of the press and less than rigorous government censorship, means South Koreans are getting national and international news and advertising, true and fair, from loads of providers. South Koreans are the most highly connected people in the world!


What does this mean for Public Relations in the country? You guessed it - connect via the internet! Media releases reaching online newspapers (such as The Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, Jung-Ang Ilbo, Kyunghyang Shinkmun, The Hankyoreh, Maeli Business Newspaper and Hanguk Business Newspaper), events and brands advertised online are likely to get a wide exposure to South Koreans surfing the net. Youtube, gaming sites, social media and instant messaging providers are also powerful targets.



Case Study: Using Social Media for PR.


The Australian government is showing attention to the power and popularity of social media (and how easy it is to access with these smart phones) by considering using Facebook as a medium to execute a campaign targeted at refugees considering seeking a place in Australia. The campaign will feature videos of real footage of what the typical refugee goes through from setting out of their home country on the boat, to reaching Australia and getting sent to a refugee camp (Mashman, A, 2011). If the campaign goes ahead, it is likely to be viral on Facebook and YouTube.