There is an app that many foreigners visiting Korea install, although it may not be well-known among Koreans. This app is called ‘Creatrip,’ which helps foreigners use delivery services and make restaurant reservations even without a Korean phone number or domestically issued credit card. Last month, the app launched foreign-exclusive services including the popular bagel shop ‘London Bagel Museum’ where even Koreans wait in line to eat, and a profile photo studio called ‘Sihyunhada.’ The app’s monthly active users (MAU) have exceeded 1.4 million. A representative from Creatrip mentioned, “Foreigners who visit Korea nowadays wish to experience ordering delivery food by the Han River just like Koreans do and visit places that Koreans enjoy. The app was inspired by those desires.” The representative also stated, “Our app is popular especially in Taiwan, with 3 out of 10 Taiwanese visitors in Korea using our app.”
Native apps that are more popular among foreigners than among Koreans are emerging in a stream. These services target the increased interest of foreigners in Korea due to the K-pop wave with groups like BTS and BLACKPINK, as well as the K-drama trend led by ‘Squid Game.’ Commerce apps targeting globalized Korean Wave fandoms such as ‘Makestar,’ reverse cross-border shopping apps like ‘KOODING,’ and Korean language education platforms like ‘TEUIDA’ are experiencing rapid growth.
‘Makestar’ yielded a revenue of ￦47.9 billion last year, 70% of which was generated from overseas (US$1=￦1,336). As international orders increased, the company recently built a 10,000 square meter logistics center with automated overseas delivery facilities in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. A Makestar representative remarked, “Last month, we held an event to celebrate the release of NCT Dream’s 3rd regular album, and we were surprised to receive funding from Peru, the Dominican Republic, Brunei, Senegal, and South Africa.” A similar service, ‘Ktown4u,’ also gains popularity among foreigners, with around 90 percent of its ￦222.4 billion in revenue coming from overseas.
With K-pop cover dances on platforms like TikTok in the spotlight, specialized platforms exclusive for K-pop dances have emerged. Sidewalk Entertainment, a startup founded by former StarCraft professional gamer Kook Ki-bong, will officially launch its K-pop cover dance app ‘STEPIN’ in Southeast Asia this month. The app displays sample images on the smartphone screen to help users follow the dance moves of their chosen songs, and AI detects users’ movements in real-time to score their performance.
Shopping malls like ‘KOODING’ and ‘Mixxmix,’ which sell K-fashion items such as crop tops and vests along with K-beauty products, are also popular among foreigners who directly purchase Korean clothing and beauty products. ‘Mixxmix’ has followers up to nearly 600,000 on Instagram, mostly from China and Thailand. The demand for learning Korean is also on the rise among foreigners. The app ‘TEUIDA’ allows users to practice conversations with virtual native Korean speakers on-screen, with 35 percent of its users coming from English-speaking countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. Over 90 percent of users are female aged 13 to 24, who are enthusiastic about learning K-content. It was found that people in Southeast Asia predominantly use the app to learn Korean for employment opportunities in Korean companies, while in North America and Europe, individuals use the app to learn Korean for enjoying K-content.
