ChatGPT becomes South Korea's fastest-growing app, but Naver leads in news searches

Generative AI, exemplified by ChatGPT, is rapidly expanding beyond work and information retrieval into everyday life, including personal counseling. ChatGPT recorded the most significant growth in monthly users in South Korea during the first half of 2026, solidifying its position as a "national app."

According to app analysis service WiseApp·Retail, ChatGPT's average monthly users increased by 9.86 million compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 23.24 million users in the first half of 2026. This surge highlights the growing reliance on AI tools for various tasks. Following ChatGPT, the social media app Setlog saw a 7.33 million increase in monthly users, and Google's Gemini AI service also showed strong growth, adding 6.81 million users.

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ChatGPT was the mobile application with the largest increase in users in South Korea in the first half of the year.

Despite the rise of AI services, Naver continues to dominate the search market for news and daily life information. A report by OpenSurvey indicated that 60.5% of users turn to Naver first for news and issues, and 67.1% for local and shopping information. Only 3.5% and 8.4% respectively cited generative AI services as their primary choice for these categories. Naver also maintained its lead as the most used search service overall, with 38.8% of users, significantly ahead of Google's 16.6%.

However, the overall user numbers show Google leading with 46.95 million monthly users, followed by Google Chrome and then ChatGPT. The data suggests a dual trend: AI tools like ChatGPT are rapidly gaining traction for their versatility and ease of use, integrating into users' routines, while established platforms like Naver retain strong loyalty for specific information needs. The widespread adoption of ChatGPT indicates a significant shift in how South Koreans access information and perform tasks, driven by the desire to stay current and avoid falling behind.

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News and life information searches still overwhelmingly rely on Naver.