South Korea’s advertising market is scaling alongside tighter privacy constraints. Programmatic accounted for 71.0% of display ad spend in 2023, while 62.0% of marketers in 2024 cited privacy and regulation as their top barrier to data-driven campaigns. With 89.8% internet penetration and 56.2% of users consuming online video each month, targeting and measurement have to keep up with how quickly behavior shifts.
Key Takeaways
- 56.2% of users in South Korea used online video in the last month (2024)
- 46.0% of South Korean marketers used data clean rooms in 2024
- 18.3% of South Korean ad spending was attributed to influencer marketing in 2023
- Programmatic advertising accounted for 71.0% of display ad spend in South Korea in 2023
- 62.0% of South Korea’s marketers cited privacy/regulation as the top constraint to data-driven advertising in 2024
- Naver’s share of South Korea search engine market was 54.0% in 2024
- 2.5x increase in click-through rate (CTR) with creative optimization using AI in 2023 (median lift reported)
- South Korea average internet ad spending per user was $62 in 2023
- 50% of South Korean marketers increased video budgets in 2024 due to short-form performance (trade survey)
- CPI (cost per install) for mobile games in South Korea was $1.42 in 2023 (average benchmark)
- South Korea’s mobile ad ARPDAU from rewarded ads averaged KRW 72 in 2023 (app monetization benchmark)
- South Korea in-app purchase conversion rate averaged 1.8% in 2023 (monetization benchmark)
- KRW 12.5 trillion spent on advertising in South Korea in 2022
- South Korea’s advertising market was valued at $25.1B in 2023
In South Korea, privacy limits data use while AI boosts performance, with online video and programmatic dominating ad spend.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption5 stats
01
56.2% of users in South Korea used online video in the last month (2024)
02
46.0% of South Korean marketers used data clean rooms in 2024
03
18.3% of South Korean ad spending was attributed to influencer marketing in 2023
04
South Korea had 89.8% internet penetration in 2024
05
South Korea had 4.9 billion app downloads in 2023 (all categories)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
With 89.8% internet penetration and 56.2% of users watching online video in the last month, user adoption in South Korea is clearly being driven by digital engagement, while app downloads reached 4.9 billion in 2023 to further support the momentum.
02 · Category
Industry Trends9 stats
01
Programmatic advertising accounted for 71.0% of display ad spend in South Korea in 2023
02
62.0% of South Korea’s marketers cited privacy/regulation as the top constraint to data-driven advertising in 2024
03
Naver’s share of South Korea search engine market was 54.0% in 2024
04
Kakao accounted for 18.0% of South Korea social network ad audience reach in 2024 (estimate)
05
South Korea’s e-commerce share of advertising spend increased from 2021 to 2023 (trend reported by KOBACO)
06
South Korean marketers using automation/AI in ad operations increased to 62% in 2024 (survey)
07
KOBACO reported rising interest in connected TV/OTT advertising adoption in 2023 (industry survey)
08
South Korea’s ad fraud prevention vendors reported increased demand in 2024 (vendor market note)
09
Mobile advertising represented 52% of online advertising spend in South Korea in 2023 (industry dataset)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In South Korea’s advertising industry trends, programmatic now drives 71.0% of display ad spend and AI and automation are being adopted by 62% of marketers, even as privacy and regulation become the top constraint for 62.0% of data-driven advertising.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics7 stats
01
2.5x increase in click-through rate (CTR) with creative optimization using AI in 2023 (median lift reported)
02
South Korea average internet ad spending per user was $62in 2023
03
50% of South Korean marketers increased video budgets in 2024 due to short-form performance (trade survey)
04
CTR for mobile app install campaigns in South Korea averaged 1.1% in 2023 (benchmark)
05
South Korea social ads average CPM for Facebook/Instagram was KRW 2,400 in 2023 (benchmark)
06
South Korea display ad viewability (measurable view rate) averaged 58% in 2023 (industry study)
07
South Korea’s advertising investment elasticity with GDP growth was estimated at 0.3 in a 2021 econometric study
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics in South Korea advertising show strong momentum with AI-driven creative optimization delivering a 2.5x median CTR lift in 2023, while budgets are shifting toward short-form video as 50% of marketers increased video spending in 2024 for better performance.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
CPI (cost per install) for mobile games in South Korea was $1.42in 2023 (average benchmark)
02
South Korea’s mobile ad ARPDAU from rewarded ads averaged KRW 72 in 2023 (app monetization benchmark)
03
South Korea in-app purchase conversion rate averaged 1.8% in 2023 (monetization benchmark)
04
South Korea’s TV ad GRP delivery averaged 1.3% weekly reach per GRP unit in 2023 (media study)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, South Korea’s mobile game CPI averaged $1.42 in 2023 while monetization strength stayed relatively modest, with rewarded ads averaging KRW 72 ARPDAU and an in app purchase conversion rate of 1.8%, meaning advertisers likely had to balance these costs against only moderate payoff while efficient TV delivery delivered just 1.3% weekly reach per GRP unit.
05 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
KRW 12.5 trillion spent on advertising in South Korea in 2022
02
South Korea’s advertising market was valued at $25.1B in 2023
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With South Korea spending KRW 12.5 trillion on advertising in 2022 and the market valued at $25.1 billion in 2023, the data suggests a large and continuing scale for advertising expenditures, underscoring strong market size momentum in this category.
report visual · Breakdown
South Korea’s Digital Reach vs Programmatic & Mobile Share
Online video usage is high, while programmatic and mobile dominate ad spend—highlighting a highly digitized advertising ecosystem.
46%
46.0% of South Korean marketers used data clean rooms in 2024
54%
Naver’s share of South Korea search engine market was 54.0% in 2024
source-verifiedgartner.com · gs.statcounter.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). South Korea Advertising Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/south-korea-advertising-industry-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "South Korea Advertising Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/south-korea-advertising-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "South Korea Advertising Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/south-korea-advertising-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+7 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)