The App Store shows a Korean page as the main one in Korea and also reads it in US search (Apple help, Oct 16, 2026). In Korea 61 of the 100 top-grossing apps are games, and 90 of 100 list Korean among their languages (Top Grossing, Oct 16, 2026). Check keywords in two spellings, joined and with a space, and with 어플 or 앱 (app), because that is how people type queries on the App Store in Korea.
Where a Korean page shows
According to Apple's App Store localizations page (Oct 16, 2026), Korean is the default language of one App Store storefront out of 175, Korea, and an additional language in one more (United States).
Within Korea, Apple pairs Korean with English (U.K.).
In the US, Korean is one of 9 additional languages, and according to AppTweak and Phiture words from a Korean localization reach US search (AppTweak, Nov 21, 2025). One Korean page works for two storefronts.
Who earns most on the App Store in Korea
In Korea, as in Japan, the first two places on the Top Grossing chart on Oct 16, 2026 belong to ChatGPT and YouTube, with “네이버 웹툰 - Naver Webtoon” third. 61 of 100 are games, but only 3 are in the top ten, next to KakaoTalk, TVING and Instagram. 90 list Korean among their languages.
85 of the 100 names contain Hangul and 38 of those mix in Latin letters, often the brand in two spellings, as in “카카오톡 KakaoTalk” and “TikTok 틱톡”. Half the names are 12 characters or shorter, and 41 separate the brand and a description with a colon or a dash.
| Rank | App | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPT | Productivity |
| 2 | YouTube | Photo & Video |
| 3 | 네이버 웹툰 - Naver Webtoon | Entertainment |
| 4 | 카카오톡 KakaoTalk | Social Networking |
| 5 | 메이플 키우기 | Games |
| 6 | TVING | Entertainment |
| 7 | Photo & Video | |
| 8 | WOS: 화이트아웃 서바이벌 | Games |
| 9 | Claude by Anthropic | Productivity |
| 10 | 가십하버: 합성 & 스토리 게임 | Games |
Source: chart Top Grossing, Republic of Korea, Oct 16, 2026; languages iTunes Lookup.
What people search for on the App Store in Korea
We typed 9 common small-app topics into App Store search in Korea and saved 10 suggestions for each (Oct 16, 2026). The median query is 5 characters long. 40 of 90 contain a space, 15 contain 어플 or 앱 (app), and only 4 contain 무료 (free).
| Typed | Top App Store suggestions |
|---|---|
| 사진 photo | 사진편집, 사진보정, 사진합치기, 사진편집 어플, 사진인화 |
| 동영상 video | 동영상 편집, 동영상 플레이어, 동영상 다운로드, 동영상 모자이크, 동영상 용량 줄이기 |
| 번역 translation | 번역기, 번역, 파파고 번역기, 번역어플, 번역앱 |
| 수면 sleep | 수면 분석, 수면어플, 수면 녹음, 수면트래커, 수면기록 |
| 다이어트 diet | 다이어트 기록, 다이어트 어플, 다이어트 식단, 다이어트, 다이어트 식단 기록 |
| 가계부 household budget | 가계부 어플, 가계부, 가계부 어플 무료, 가계부 어플 공유, 가계부 연동 |
| 스캔 scanning | 스캔어플, 스캔, 스캔어플 무료, 스캔스캐너, 스캔카메라 |
| 영어 English | 영어공부, 영어회화, 영어단어, 영어사전, 영어 스피킹 |
| 운동 workout | 운동기록, 운동어플, 운동 타이머, 운동기록어플, 운동루틴 |
Source: App Store search suggestions, Republic of Korea, Oct 16, 2026.
People in Korea write the same task in several ways. For 번역 (translation) the suggestions include 번역기, 번역어플, 번역앱 and 번역기 어플, and for 사진 (photo) both 사진편집 and 사진편집 어플 (App Store suggestions, Oct 16, 2026). The App Store suggests joined and spaced spellings as separate queries.
App Store prices in won
The Korean storefront prices in won. $0.99 costs ₩1,100, $4.99 costs ₩7,700, and $9.99 is already ₩17,000, more than twice ₩7,700 (App Store Connect, Oct 16, 2026). From ₩7,700 you receive ₩5,950, 77% of the price, the same share as in Japan.
| Countries | $0.99 | $4.99 | $9.99 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Korea | ₩1,100 you get ₩850 | ₩7,700 you get ₩5,950 | ₩17,000 you get ₩13,136 |
| United States | $0.99 you get $0.84 | $4.99 you get $4.24 | $9.99 you get $8.49 |
Source: App Store Connect, price points equal to $0.99, $4.99 and $9.99 in the US, Oct 16, 2026. Proceeds are for the Apple Small Business Program, 15% commission.
Proceeds are the price minus taxes and Apple's commission (App Store Connect Help). They are shown here for the Apple Small Business Program at 15%, and are lower at the standard 30%.
How to write the page in Korean
- Name up to 30 characters, subtitle the same (App Store Connect Help). Half the leaders' names in Korea are 12 characters or shorter, and 38 write the brand in both Latin letters and Hangul.
- Keywords, per Apple's help, up to 100 bytes, no names of other apps (Apple). In practice App Store Connect counts characters. For our app on sale it accepted Japanese keywords of 99 characters, 259 bytes in UTF-8 (checked Oct 16, 2026). A Hangul syllable also takes three bytes in UTF-8. Separate keywords with commas (AppTweak).
- Keep “무료” out of the name and subtitle, since guideline 2.3.7 of the App Review Guidelines rules out pricing information in metadata.
- Keep the parts of one query in one localization. AppTweak says words from different localizations do not combine into a phrase (AppTweak).
Where to start with a Korean page
- Type your topic into App Store search in Korea and list every spelling, joined, spaced, with 어플 and with 앱.
- Write the brand in Latin letters and in Hangul if people will search for it in Korean. 38 of the 100 leaders' names do this.
- Review the Korean page as a page for the US too. Its words reach US search.
- Price in won. The $4.99 step is ₩7,700, and it brings you ₩5,950.
Appto picks search queries with reasons and writes the Korean page against Apple's limits. The Korean page sits next to the English one, and Appto asks for your yes before writing to App Store Connect.
Questions
Does a Korean page show in the US?
Yes. According to Apple, Korean is an additional language of the US storefront, and AppTweak and Phiture found that words from such localizations reach the country's search (Oct 16, 2026).
How much is a $4.99 purchase in Korea?
₩7,700, while $9.99 costs ₩17,000 on Oct 16, 2026 (App Store Connect). ₩7,700 brings you ₩5,950.
Should Korean queries be joined or spaced?
Both happen. 40 of 90 App Store suggestions in Korea contain a space, and one task appears in both forms, such as 번역어플 and 번역기 어플 (Oct 16, 2026).
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