Kakao Super App: How a Chat App Became Korea’s OS
Kakao Corp isn’t a messaging company that bolted on services — it’s a platform conglomerate that grew out of a chat app. As of its 2025 full-year results, Kakao reported … Read more
south korea
Naver: How Korea’s Search Giant Built a Platform Empire
Naver Corporation isn’t a search engine with side projects — it’s a vertically integrated ecosystem where search, commerce, payments, content, and AI reinforce each other across every layer. In 2025, … Read more
Coupang Logistics: How Korea’s Amazon Built Same-Day
Coupang doesn’t outsource its logistics. It owns them. That single decision — made over a decade ago when the company was still burning through venture capital — is the reason … Read more
Coupang vs Amazon: Korea’s Logistics Battle Explained
Coupang delivered 99.6% of South Korean orders within 24 hours in 2025. Amazon covered 98% of Japan’s population with next-day delivery that same year. Two companies, both obsessed with logistics-first … Read more
Naver vs Kakao: A 2026 Comparison of Korea’s Two Digital Platform Empires
South Korea’s digital economy runs through two companies. Naver, the country’s dominant search engine, posted KRW 10.7 trillion in revenue in 2024 — the first time a domestic internet company … Read more
What is the State of South Korea’s Digital Economy in 2026? A Comprehensive Market Overview
South Korea is the most intensely connected country on earth. With 50.4 million internet users representing 97.4% of the population, 5G download speeds averaging 1,064 Mbps on SK Telecom’s network, … Read more
What is the State of Asia’s AI Chip Race in 2026? Inside TSMC, Samsung, and China’s Semiconductor Stack
Why Does Asia Control the World’s AI Chip Supply Chain? Asia dominates the physical infrastructure layer of global artificial intelligence. Taiwan’s TSMC manufactures 72% of global foundry output at leading-edge … Read more
Asia Pacific AI Market 2026: $102B, Country Breakdown
The Asia Pacific AI market hit an estimated $102B in 2025, the world’s fastest-growing region. A country-by-country breakdown: China, India, Japan, Korea.
Sovereign AI in Asia: Why Every Country Is Building Its Own LLM
Why Is Every Asian Country Building Its Own AI Model? Sovereign AI — the development of domestically controlled artificial intelligence infrastructure, models, and data pipelines — has become the defining … Read more
iKorea: Why Korea is Saying No to Programmatic
iKorea is a column by Soyoon Bach, a Digital Marketing professional in Seoul, covering developments in the Korean digital ecosystem. Programmatic media buying is a powerful infant. While the technology itself … Read more