South Korea becomes second largest AI market for Google after Gemini 3 launch

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by The Korea TimesJanuary 26, 2026 at 03:10 AM

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South Korea has emerged as Google's second-largest market for paid Gemini subscriptions, following the United States. As of Sunday, South Korea accounted for 11.4% of Gemini's global revenue on Apple's app store, totaling approximately $21 million. Despite ranking 17th in downloads, South Korea boasts the highest revenue per download, indicating strong profitability for Google. The launch of Gemini 3 in November 2023, which improved the AI's capabilities, has accelerated user growth, with daily active users in South Korea increasing by 103.7%. While OpenAI's ChatGPT currently leads in daily active users in South Korea's generative AI app market, Gemini holds the second position.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

AFP 30% Seoul 40% Apple 50% Sensor Tower 60% United States 60% OpenAI 60% ChatGPT 60% Gemini 3 70% Google 80% South Korea ×690% Gemini ×595%

Keywords

generative ai 100% google gemini 90% south korea 90% app market 70% revenue 60% user growth 60% daily active users 50% chatgpt 40% artificial intelligence 40%