South Korean apps for foreigners' daily life, travel on the rise

The South Korean mobile app market is seeing fast growth of platforms targeting foreign users in the country alongside their increasing demand for accommodation, food delivery and job searches.

Enkorwithus, a local startup founded in 2020, operates mid- to long-term accommodation booking app Enkorstay. The app took off during the pandemic as it helped foreigners hail taxis and buy things online in Korea.

The startup achieved a 1 billion won ($745,990) revenue in eight months from its inception. It offers 350 rooms in Seoul, particularly for overseas students studying at universities.

Creatrip, an app for tours, shopping, school registration and financial services in Korea, saw its monthly active users exceed 1.8 million last December.

The platform offers booking services in six foreign languages such as English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai. Transactions in its pop culture-related services expanded 4.7 times last year from a year earlier.

Kowork, a job search app run by Kowork Withus, connects about 52,000 foreign users with 240 companies in Korea. The platform also supports foreigners’ visa applications to work and live in the country.

The public sector is expanding its online services for foreigners. The Seoul Metropolitan Government cooperated with Globaleur, an artificial intelligence startup, to launch the taxi-hailing app Taba last December. Foreigners can use their mobile phone numbers and credit cards from their home country to ride and make online payments in Korea.   

Shuttle Delivery, a food delivery app, is popular among expatriates in Korea as the platform provides various food options like Halal or vegan. The app is used in Itaewon in Seoul and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, areas where many foreigners live.

According to Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice, the number of foreigners staying or residing in Korea reached 2.5 million last December, 28.1% up from two years earlier. The number of foreign tourists surpassed 11 million last year, according to the government agency’s estimation.

“It is not easy for foreigners in Korea to search for information, book and pay on major portals like Naver Corp.,” said Creatrip Chief Executive Yim Hae-min. “They need services addressing information asymmetry.” 

Write to Eun-Yi Ko at koko@hankyung.com

Jihyun Kim edited this article.