Korea's smartphone market in the second quarter grew by more than 10% from the same period a year earlier. The surge appears to have been driven by aggressive marketing as competition among carriers to win subscribers intensified after the SK Telecom hacking incident.
Market research firm IDC Korea said on the 11th that the domestic smartphone market in the 2nd quarter reached 3.32 million units in shipments, up 10.9% from a year earlier.
IDC Korea said, "The domestic smartphone market showed strong growth centered on the premium smartphone segment, backed by improved results from Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S25 series and aggressive marketing by carriers, as some domestic and global economic uncertainties eased."
It also analyzed that demand for so-called "value-for-money smartphones" increased as mid- to low-priced overseas brands, including Xiaomi, opened official stores in Korea.
As new mid- to low-priced smartphones expanded consumer choice, 5G share rose to 94.1%.
Foldable smartphone shipments reached 110,000 units, recording double-digit growth from a year earlier. IDC Korea analyzed that shipments increased as manufacturers adjusted inventory ahead of major makers' launches of new foldable models in the second half.