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They don't have international competition. The Korean government explicitly chooses companies for these things. And those companies, Chaebols like Samsung, cho

They don't have international competition. The Korean government explicitly chooses companies for these things. And those companies, Chaebols like Samsung, choose the laws. If these Korean apps were so good, you would expect them to penetrate foreign markets. But they don't. https://www.techdirt.com/2023/12/06/dumb-telecom-industry-backed-network-fees-drive-twitch-out-of-korea/ https://www.techdirt.com/2023/12/06/dumb-telecom-industry-ba... Just like how British car companies collapsed when foreign competition entered the market on equal footing, these companies will disintegrate if forced to compete. https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2010-dec-01-la-fg-south-korea-chaebols-20101201-story.html https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2010-dec-01-la-fg-south...

seoulmetro 2y ago
>If these Korean apps were so good, you would expect them to penetrate foreign markets. But they don't. Dumb reasoning. Their apps are targeted at Korean life on purpose. Their app being good or bad is irrelevant. The reason American apps penetrate the world usually is because America is a superpower that has almost colonised the web.
- consumer451 2y ago
  > The reason American apps penetrate the world usually is because America is a superpower that has almost colonised the web. I live in the USA and EU, and the reason that I prefer a Samsung display in almost all cases is because it is the best product. Korea has not colonized us, but the product is often superior, so that is why I buy it. Why is it that Korean software cannot do the same? I find it very interesting, and I mean to ask this in a very neutral/curious way.
  - seoulmetro 2y ago
    Yes. Samsung created the best product for all eyes. That's not the same for most internet apps. They can do the same, they don't want to nor need to.
  - shiroiushi 2y ago
    >I live in the USA and EU, and the reason that I prefer a Samsung display in almost all cases is because it is the best product. No way, LG displays are better. (In case it's not obvious, there's a joke here.)
  - fmj 2y ago
    Now that you bring it up, I can't recall ever (knowingly) using a piece of Korean software that wasn't a game or baked into a phone's firmware. Does seem kind of odd considering how much Korean hardware there is in my life.
    - teen 2y ago
      naver mail is good. kakao talk too
  - abdullahkhalids 2y ago
    TVs for most of their existence were simple devices, with mostly a few different consumer relevant parameters, which were mostly objective. Apps on the other hand strongly reflect the philosophy of usage, control, privacy etc, and the design aesthetic of their creators. Different countries/cultures have radically different philosophies, and old countries have aesthetics that go back thousands of years. Using apps from the creators of a different culture almost certainly causes significant friction with your own culture's philosophy and aesthetics. To give a related example. I don't know Korea, but many in the English speaking world are marginally know of Japanese TV shows - you know with the crazy antics. Imagine that you were forced to consume only that form of TV, and how jarring that would be compared to your own philosophical and aesthetic inclinations. The same with Apps.
- kevin_thibedeau 2y ago
  Nothing prevented Switzerland from colonizing the web first. If Europe was a VC friendly environment it would be ahead in everything.
  - jampekka 2y ago
    [flagged]
  - SuperNinKenDo 2y ago
    This doesn't really fit with the way the US government ensured dominance of its tech sector globally in the 80s, 90s, and even early 2000s. It was not a fair competition by any stretch of the imagination and involved a lot of strong-arming by the US government abusing its leverage.
    - kevin_thibedeau 2y ago
      Maybe somebody else should have invented the transistor, integrated circuit, and internet first. They didn't.
      - SuperNinKenDo 2y ago
        As if those were sufficient or necessary. Even a passing familiarity with the history of computing would show that these had little effect. A deep understanding would reveal what actually did.
  - seoulmetro 2y ago
    Right. Instead the US colonised the internet. What's your point?
    - lupusreal 2y ago
      *created The internet wasn't some terra nullius that America took over.
- doyoulikecheese 2y ago
  > The reason American apps penetrate the world usually is because America is a superpower that has almost colonised the web. Love how the word "colonise" is thrown out without any thought. Please tell us one example where America enacted a hostile takeover of a Korean site, and extracted its resources solely for the benefit of American interests.
  - seoulmetro 2y ago
    I thought about it, then I used it. It pretty much stands (not literally of course). >Please tell us one example where America enacted a hostile takeover of a Korean site I don't think you understand what the word colonise means nor what my comment means...
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - doyoulikecheese 2y ago
      Agreed, I was wrong.
mpercival531 2y ago
LINE did.
- Prickle 2y ago
  Line failed in the Korean market, and only penetrated Japan if I remember correctly. And it is also partially owned by Softbank.
  - nextworddev 2y ago
    SoftBank took a stake in Line way after Line became established
    - Prickle 2y ago
      I did not know that. Would that indiciate that Korean software companies are only able to penetrate one economy at a time? That would be a very weird, but interesting thing to investigate.
      - nextworddev 2y ago
        Not sure what you are getting at, but Line is deeply penetrated into South East Asia as well
        maeil 2y ago
        Taiwan too.
        Prickle 2y ago
        Last I checked, 90% of Line users were in Japan, and Facebook messenger was most popular in SEA. So I am simply surprised. My knowledge must be incredibly out of date.
        teractiveodular 2y ago
        LINE is very popular in Thailand for unclear reasons, I've heard the theory that their cute sticker packs set them apart in the early days. In the rest of SEA Whatsapp is the most popular.

seoulmetro 2y ago

>If these Korean apps were so good, you would expect them to penetrate foreign markets. But they don't. Dumb reasoning. Their apps are targeted at Korean life on purpose. Their app being good or bad is irrelevant. The reason American apps penetrate the world usually is because America is a superpower that has almost colonised the web.

consumer451 2y ago
> The reason American apps penetrate the world usually is because America is a superpower that has almost colonised the web. I live in the USA and EU, and the reason that I prefer a Samsung display in almost all cases is because it is the best product. Korea has not colonized us, but the product is often superior, so that is why I buy it. Why is it that Korean software cannot do the same? I find it very interesting, and I mean to ask this in a very neutral/curious way.
- seoulmetro 2y ago
  Yes. Samsung created the best product for all eyes. That's not the same for most internet apps. They can do the same, they don't want to nor need to.
- shiroiushi 2y ago
  >I live in the USA and EU, and the reason that I prefer a Samsung display in almost all cases is because it is the best product. No way, LG displays are better. (In case it's not obvious, there's a joke here.)
- fmj 2y ago
  Now that you bring it up, I can't recall ever (knowingly) using a piece of Korean software that wasn't a game or baked into a phone's firmware. Does seem kind of odd considering how much Korean hardware there is in my life.
  - teen 2y ago
    naver mail is good. kakao talk too
- abdullahkhalids 2y ago
  TVs for most of their existence were simple devices, with mostly a few different consumer relevant parameters, which were mostly objective. Apps on the other hand strongly reflect the philosophy of usage, control, privacy etc, and the design aesthetic of their creators. Different countries/cultures have radically different philosophies, and old countries have aesthetics that go back thousands of years. Using apps from the creators of a different culture almost certainly causes significant friction with your own culture's philosophy and aesthetics. To give a related example. I don't know Korea, but many in the English speaking world are marginally know of Japanese TV shows - you know with the crazy antics. Imagine that you were forced to consume only that form of TV, and how jarring that would be compared to your own philosophical and aesthetic inclinations. The same with Apps.
kevin_thibedeau 2y ago
Nothing prevented Switzerland from colonizing the web first. If Europe was a VC friendly environment it would be ahead in everything.
- jampekka 2y ago
  [flagged]
- SuperNinKenDo 2y ago
  This doesn't really fit with the way the US government ensured dominance of its tech sector globally in the 80s, 90s, and even early 2000s. It was not a fair competition by any stretch of the imagination and involved a lot of strong-arming by the US government abusing its leverage.
  - kevin_thibedeau 2y ago
    Maybe somebody else should have invented the transistor, integrated circuit, and internet first. They didn't.
    - SuperNinKenDo 2y ago
      As if those were sufficient or necessary. Even a passing familiarity with the history of computing would show that these had little effect. A deep understanding would reveal what actually did.
- seoulmetro 2y ago
  Right. Instead the US colonised the internet. What's your point?
  - lupusreal 2y ago
    *created The internet wasn't some terra nullius that America took over.
doyoulikecheese 2y ago
> The reason American apps penetrate the world usually is because America is a superpower that has almost colonised the web. Love how the word "colonise" is thrown out without any thought. Please tell us one example where America enacted a hostile takeover of a Korean site, and extracted its resources solely for the benefit of American interests.
- seoulmetro 2y ago
  I thought about it, then I used it. It pretty much stands (not literally of course). >Please tell us one example where America enacted a hostile takeover of a Korean site I don't think you understand what the word colonise means nor what my comment means...
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - doyoulikecheese 2y ago
    Agreed, I was wrong.

mpercival531 2y ago

LINE did.

Prickle 2y ago
Line failed in the Korean market, and only penetrated Japan if I remember correctly. And it is also partially owned by Softbank.
- nextworddev 2y ago
  SoftBank took a stake in Line way after Line became established
  - Prickle 2y ago
    I did not know that. Would that indiciate that Korean software companies are only able to penetrate one economy at a time? That would be a very weird, but interesting thing to investigate.
    - nextworddev 2y ago
      Not sure what you are getting at, but Line is deeply penetrated into South East Asia as well
      - maeil 2y ago
        Taiwan too.
      - Prickle 2y ago
        Last I checked, 90% of Line users were in Japan, and Facebook messenger was most popular in SEA. So I am simply surprised. My knowledge must be incredibly out of date.
        teractiveodular 2y ago
        LINE is very popular in Thailand for unclear reasons, I've heard the theory that their cute sticker packs set them apart in the early days. In the rest of SEA Whatsapp is the most popular.