Pokemon Go takes South Korea by storm

[THE INVESTOR] The global craze for Pokemon Go, Japanese game developer Nintendo’s augmented-reality smartphone game, has taken the nation by storm with downloads exceeding 400,000 as of July 13, according to a survey by market research firm WiseApp.

The survey result is based on 14,439 Android phone users in Korea from July 7-13. 

The mobile game, which has not been officially launched here, achieved the feat in less than two weeks since its release in other parts of the world on July 5, including the US and Australia.

The game is especially popular among teenagers and those in their 20s, who grew up with Pokemon, the TV animation that inspired the mobile game. Both age groups accounted for 41 percent and 40 percent, respectively, while those in their 30s and 40s took up 15 percent and 4 percent, respectively.

Around 79 percent of the Korean Pokemon Go players are male while 21 percent are women.

The mobile app is currently unavailable in South Korea due to the government’s restrictions on Google Maps services on which the mobile game is based. Users track down and capture Pokemons on the app, utilizing the map services.

Those who have downloaded the app were able to do so through app stores based in foreign nations.

WiseApp said there would have been more Korean Pokemon Go players if Apple’s iPhone users, which take up 12 to 15 percent of total smartphone users here, were allowed to download the game.


By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)