Top Trending Apps of 2020 in South Korea

Google released their end of year app results for South Korea over on the Play Store. As usual they just mentioned a few and placed the full list content in an image. So as a convenience to readers, here's the full list with a brief explanation of each app plus links to each if you want to try them yourself. 

Note that these are the most "trending" apps of the year overall. Instead, these are the apps that saw the biggest boost of growth in popularity during 2020 specifically. So they're also a good view into the social and cultural aspects of the year. Not surprisingly then, many of these apps relate to the COVID-19 induced lockdowns, so you'll find food delivery apps and content creation high on the lists. 

As Google compiled the list from the Play Store, all the following links go to Android versions. However most of these also have iOS versions. 

Top Trending Apps of 2020 in South Korea


Full list of top trending apps for Korea in 2020. Image: Google



Best App in South Korea for 2020

올해의 베스트 앱

Coupang Eats - 쿠팡이츠 - 맛있는 음식을 빠르고 편하게

Food delivery app put out by Coupang, the popular online retailer famous for speedy deliveries. You can order with your basic Coupang account, no other sign-up necessary. 


Most Popular Trending Apps of 2020 in South Korea

올해를 빛낸 인기 앱

  1. Coupang Eats - 쿠팡이츠 - 맛있는 음식을 빠르고 편하게
    (already listed above)
  2. Microsoft Office - Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint & More
    You know what this is. I'm surprised it grew so much in popularity this year. I wonder if integration with OneDrive helped its use grow this year as offices went virtual? I haven't seen any news specifically about this. Anyone with an informative link, let me know.
  3. Kakao Golf Reservation - 카카오골프예약
    Golf course recommendation app that also books reservations. Looks like people took the COVID time as a chance to get out on the links where the outdoor air and implied social distancing was "on par" with the app's tee-time alerts and "untact" auto check-in.
  4. VITA - VITA
    Video editing app specializing in adding cool effects and subtitles, from makers of the popular camera app SNOW that most of your KakaoTalk friend's selfies were shot on. Many of your favorite Korean YouTubers may have used this app to put those cute overlay subtitles on their videos.  
  5. Manhwakyung - 만화경 - 온라인 만화책방, 웹툰
    Webtoon contents app. Made by Woowa Brothers, the same company behind popular food delivery app Baedal Minjok who also are coming out with a food delivery robot. 


Top Trending Entertainment Apps of 2020 in South Korea

올해를 빛낸 엔터테인먼트 앱

  1. VITA
    (already listed above)
  2. Reface - Reface: Face swap videos and memes with your photo
    Face swap app, formerlly known as Doublicat, popular internationally.
  3. Sumone - Someone Sumone-Couple Diary
    An app for couples to get to know each other more deeply by comparing answers to daily questions, and enjoy raising the cute cat together as your relationship blossoms and deepens. 
  4. Manhwakyung
    (already listed above)
  5. Dolby On: Record Audio & Music

Top 5 rising Self-improvement apps

올해를 빛낸 자기계발 앱

  1. Speak (스픽): English Conversations & Speaking
    English learning app with good quality paid content. App focuses on making you speak the phrases aloud and its voice recognition rates your speech. Neat idea. Here's a demo video if you're curious about that. 
  2. Speak Voca - 말해보카: 문장으로 뉘앙스까지 한 번에
    Basically same as #1 here, another English speaking practice app based on voice recognition
  3. Vimeo Create - Video Maker & Editor 
    Obviously for Vimeo but I wonder if people aren't using this app to create nice content to then repost on TikTok or Instagram or where ever. 
  4. Bookjuk - 북적북적 - 독서 기록 앱
    Keep track of and encourage your reading habits. Reminds me a bit of GoodReads if it were cuter.
  5. Timecap: Habit tracker & Motivation

Top "Hidden Gem" Apps of 2020 in SK

올해를 빛낸 숨은 보석 앱

  1. 쑥쑥찰칵 - Baby milestone video - photo share, organize
    Camera and photo organizer focusing on baby pictures and baby's life highlights. Not sure why it couldn't be used by anyone though. 
  2. 달의기록 다이어리 - Moon Diary
    Cutely designed notebook/calendar/diary app
  3. Diet Friends - 다이어트 프렌즈- 나만을 위한 다이어트 맞춤 코치 람희
    Dieting app for tracking your meals/calories in a unique chatbot style which recommends personalized meal combos 
  4. Today's Sashimi - 오늘회 - 찾아가는 내손안의 수산마켓
    Now this is a true hidden gem. Have a craving for the freshest and rawest seafood? Use the app to order the most exotic items from the sea by 3pm, have it delivered fresh and practically still flopping around by 7pm. Mmm. New items every week. BRB downloading now. 
  5. Lucid Island - 루시드아일랜드 - 멘탈 피트니스 앱
    Meditation, brain fitness, stimulation app. 


Read more at Google's blog post, where you can also find their list of the top Games:

And you can also see both the Top Apps and Top Games list for South Korea here at Google Play:

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