Half of South Koreans own smartphones

Korean newspaper The Chosunilbo reported that, according to the three telcos, 26.72 million Korean mobile users are using smartphones, 50.8 per cent of all 53 million mobile subscribers. 

Smartphone were introduced in Korea only in 2009 when only 470,000 Koreans used smartphones. By March last year, that number had only risen to 10 million. 

Korea is home to Samsung which overtook Apple as the world's top smartphone vendor in the first quarter of 2012 thanks to the strength of its Galaxy portofilio, according to IDC.