Communications, Media, and Internet Concentration in South Korea, 2019–2022

Abstract: This report investigates media developments and market concentration trends across nearly two dozen communication, internet, and media industries that make up the Korean network media economy. We start by studying each of the sectors covered individually before grouping them into three larger mid-range categories of similar type services: telecoms and internet access sectors, online and traditional media services, and core internet sectors. Ultimately, we bring all these sectors together to give a composite view of the network media economy over the period from 2019 to 2022. In a country where there are few-to-no established research studies on the topic of media concentration and ownership, the goal of this report is to simultaneously examine specific media sectors in order to understand their unique features, dynamics, and trends and to move from there toward a holistic understanding of the Korean network media economy.