The use of Instagram by mobile app users in South Korea has surged by about 42% over the past year, while usage of domestic apps like Naver and KakaoTalk has declined.
According to market tracker Wiseapp Retail Goods, Instagram usage in South Korea reached 378.93 million hours in September 2024, a significant increase from 266.66 million hours in the same month last year—marking a 42.1% rise.
In contrast, KakaoTalk’s usage dropped by 3.3% over the same period, from 545.34 million hours in September 2023 to 527.37 million hours in September 2024. Naver saw an even sharper decline of 9.7%, with usage falling from 365.27 million hours to 329.73 million hours. YouTube maintained its top spot, recording 1.80 billion hours of usage in September 2024, up 9.5% from 1.64 billion hours the previous year. This data highlights a growing trend: while the usage of foreign apps is increasing, domestic apps are seeing a downward shift.
The number of app sessions also showed a marked rise for Instagram and YouTube. Instagram’s app sessions increased by 33.2% over the past year, reaching 16.68 billion in September, while YouTube’s rose by 7.7%, totaling 14.26 billion. Meanwhile, KakaoTalk and Naver’s app sessions were relatively flat, increasing by just 0.3% and 1.6%, respectively, with KakaoTalk hitting 74.71 billion and Naver 14.66 billion sessions in September.
The growth of Instagram and YouTube is attributed to the popularity of short-form videos. Instagram has focused on attracting younger audiences with its Reels feature, while YouTube has ramped up its Shorts offering. Recently, YouTube extended the maximum length of Shorts from one minute to three, aiming to attract creators who want to produce longer content.