Google-owned YouTube has today launched a South Korean version of the website.The localised service has been introduced to take advantage of the expanding market for user-generated web content in the Asian country, the AFP reports.
Google Korea chief executive Lee Won-Jin told the Yonhap news agency that the launch of the website would drive the spread of South Korea's popular culture and videos around the world.
Meanwhile, YouTube international manager Sakina Arsiwala told a Seoul press conference that the website would benefit from South Korea's fast IT infrastructure and high broadband penetration, stating: "YouTube will be able to fill the demand for videos," the Korea Times reports.
The launch follows a year of expansion for the video-sharing website. Last June, YouTube announced the rollout of local sites for the Brazil, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and UK markets.
However, South Korea is already home to a number of popular user-generated content sites that could pose tough competition for YouTube, according to the AFP.
The announcement comes shortly after Microsoft announced that it is joining forces with web portal Daum Communications and digital equipment manufacturer Celrun to provide internet protocol television (IPTV) services in South Korea.
Technology firms in Asia are increasingly investing in IPTV offerings that provide access to television programmes and a range of internet services in a bid to expand their sources of revenue, according to the Associated Press.
