You may know. This news has been spread everywhere as breaking news last weekend. Korean former president Roh killed himself.

Korean social media plays main role to gathering ideas and opinion from the people. People have had discussion on issues ranging from sports, showbiz to social matter and politicial issue on their blog, cafe(community) and even answers. Sometimes on-line discussion makes people to put into action their opinion off-line.

There is no exception for Mr. Roh’s case. Korean web users share their opinion on this and take action for it. Korean government worrys about maybe it becoming another ‘US mad cow epidemic movement’ in 2008, cause it easily changes its charactor to anti-president movement.

For me as a SEO&SMO strategist, it is always fascinating to see how people power and discussion in online communities become power to change society.

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Korean SMO Sites

Google Korea denied to leave Korean search market.

Concerning Google Korea’s decision to reduce its workforce, people talked about whether Google will withdraw their business in Korea.

At conference held by Google Seoul office on 22th April, Google Korea managing director Lee Won-jin said  that they has no plan to leave. Besides, Google Korea actually continued to grow in Korea. Even though Google Korea still struggle with Naver and Daum to survive in Korean search market, in March the number of searches carried out through Google Korea increased by 47 percent from the same month last year. According to the company, the industry average was recorded at 16 percent over the same period. Page view and the sales amount also incresed by 92%, 150% each.

The reason Google Korea reduce its workforce is made as part of Google’s global strategy. Google is not free from the effect of worldwide economic crisis. It is just balancing act to design proper size of the company’s workforce with economic crisis.

Lee expected Google Korea soon become no.3 search engine in Korea.

(resource : http://www.asiae.co.kr/uhtml/read.jsp?idxno=2009042214284816721)

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Google Korea and Real-name system in Korea

Google Korea was standing firm by its decisions about YouTube’s services in Korea and that it had no intention of leaving the Korean market.

 Korean Communications Commision(KCC) has decided to enforce “Limited Internet Real-name System” which uploaders can be indentified by the their ID number and name. In 1st April, KCC started to make an application of the law to Youtube Korea, but Google, the owner of Youtube, refuses to apply local laws. Google removed some functions of uploading and connent writing from Korean version of its site. leaving room for Korean users to upload files through non-Korean YouTube sites.

"Google is an internet company so we try to ensure that the users can reap the benefits of the internet, the foremost of which is sharing ideas and the capacity to have millions of people participate," Lee Won-jin, Google Korea managing director, said at a press conference held at the company’s office in Seoul on 22th april. "But the law is one that can limit participation and so does not allow users to enjoy the maximum benefits of the internet." 

Lots of Korean web users support Google’s decision, but KCC certainly doesn’t. The head of KCC, Choi Si-joong said, “Google goes to commercial about this. We will examine carefully whether there is any illigal act by Google Korea.”

How will it end? Korean web users keep their eye on it.

(resource : http://www.mediatoday.co.kr, http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/archives/result_contents.asp)

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Google Korea never leaves!

Korean SEO goes with Google.

Google & Daum – Longtime friends in Korea

Korean search volume is worldwide top 10.

According to Comscore’s release on january, the number of worldwide internet users passes over one billion.

Source : ComScore release on Jan. Decemver, 2008                                      

                            <Top 15 countries, by Internet population>                               

(miilion)

Korea is well known as online-developed country which has one of the largest unique search users in the world. Korean users use search engines more often than any other countries’. Most Korean frequently use search engines when they want to get information.