Chinese hallyu portal aims for daily traffic boost

Korea DMC, the operator of a Chinese-language Korean Wave portal, said Tuesday that it aimed to reach 1 million hits in daily traffic by the end of the year.

The company launched Korea Top 10 (www.koreatop10.com), a platform offering information related to South Korea and shopping for beauty products and tourist, wedding and medical services.

“We provide customized services to Chinese people who are seeking information and products they cannot find elsewhere,” Korea DMC CEO Sim Song-hak said at a press conference in Seoul.

The website, similar to the Chinese version of South Korean web portals Naver and Daum, is focused on content related to South Korean culture and what locals eat, wear and enjoy at home. 

It is largely divided into eight categories, including entertainment news, South Korean corporate information, culture, community, travel, fashion, lifestyle and regional information.

When shopping, users are able to use Alipay to purchase products or services such as wedding photo shoots and popular beauty items. Products will be delivered within a week, about half the time it takes for EMS operators.

The CEO said about a dozen popular bloggers and celebrities, including makeup artist Kim Seung-won, were hired to post columns on makeup tips and travel. The posts will be translated by professional translators, they said.

Korea DMC said it is also planning to launch a Russian web portal offering the same services.

By Suk Gee-hyun (monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)