Have you ever heard about Naver? It might be a bit unfamiliar to you, but what about MelOn? It probably sounds a little more familiar due to the relevance it has among k-pop fanbases. And KakaoTalk? I bet I have confused you again, but there is no problem with it, because there is something in common between these three, and that is that they are all one of the most used digital platforms in South Korea, but what is the function that each one has?
Nowadays, apps have become indispensable tools for the daily life of modern society because they have allowed us to keep in touch with others through our cell phones, listen to music, being able to research topics of various kinds, and much more. The apps listed below cover these needs perfectly, even though they do not have the popularity that Google, WhatsApp, or Spotify have around the world, but they do in South Korea.
Naver (네이버) is known for being the main browser in South Korea, this portal has additional tools that are very practical for Korean Internet users, among them: Whale, which is a search engine; Papago, which serves as a web translator; Knowledge In, a kind of forum to write questions and answers about various topics; other options we can mention are the ability to access an email, encyclopedia, dictionary, web maps, news and more. It is important to mention that this portal is focused on providing content in Korean, although it currently has an English version.
MelOn (멜론) is the biggest music streaming platform in South Korea; this site allows users to download or listen to their favorite songs online, as it has a large catalog of both Korean and international artists. This application, despite being very popular in the Asian country, has gained relevance abroad because it is an important platform among the fanbases of k-pop groups, as this way they add digital sales for the musical promotion of their favorite idol group in Korea, allowing them to win prizes and greater recognition among the public.
KakaoTalk (카카오 톡) is an instant messaging service par excellence among Koreans; this application allows users to send and receive messages, voice notes, as well as make calls, video calls and send files via chat for free; It offers the option to add a new contact to the list of friends without the need to know their phone number since only the registration ID will be necessary; on the other hand, the platform has its own characters, called Kakao Friends, which can be found among the emoticons. In addition, it also has other tools such as KakaoStory, which allows the user to share photos, videos, and texts as if it were a social network.
Undoubtedly, it is interesting to know these platforms due to the relevance they have been gaining outside the Asian country, since this way helps to pay more attention to the servers of each of these apps to provide a better experience to both Korean and international users. And you, have you used any of these apps? What has been your experience?
Written by: Diana Ramirez
Reviewed by: Angie Salavarria
