Top 10 Korean Tech Companies

The world's second-largest memory chip manufacturer after Samsung, SK Hynix produces DRAM and NAND flash semiconductors used in data centers, smartphones, and AI hardware. The company made headlines in 2023 as the first to supply HBM3 (High Bandwidth Memory) chips to Nvidia for its H100 AI accelerators, positioning it at the center of the AI hardware boom.

A global leader in home appliances, televisions, and electric vehicle components, LG Electronics generated approximately $56 billion in revenue in 2023. The company pivoted away from smartphones in 2021 to focus on EV components and B2B solutions, and its OLED TV business holds a dominant share of the global premium TV market.

Kakao operates KakaoTalk, South Korea's dominant messaging app used by over 95% of the Korean population, as well as a sprawling ecosystem of services including Kakao Pay, Kakao Mobility, Kakao Games, and Kakao Bank. The company had a total valuation peak exceeding $30 billion in 2021 and is often described as South Korea's equivalent of Tencent.

South Korea's dominant search engine and internet portal (analogous to Google in the Korean market), Naver also operates LINE (via LINE Corporation, popular in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand), Webtoon, and a rapidly expanding AI research division. Naver's HyperCLOVA X, released in 2023, is one of the most advanced large language models developed outside the U.S. and Europe.

The gaming company behind PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), one of the bestselling video games of all time with over 75 million copies sold on PC alone, Krafton went public in 2021 in South Korea's largest-ever tech IPO at the time, raising approximately $3.8 billion. The company has expanded aggressively into the Indian gaming market and new genre development.

While primarily an automaker, Hyundai Motor Group's technology division — including Boston Dynamics (acquired in 2021), Motional (autonomous driving JV with Aptiv), and Supernal (urban air mobility) — makes it one of Korea's most significant technology investors. The group has committed over $74 billion in U.S. investments through 2030 spanning EV manufacturing and robotics.

South Korea's dominant e-commerce platform, often described as "the Amazon of Korea," Coupang listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 raising $4.6 billion in one of the largest U.S. tech IPOs of that year. Its Rocket Delivery service — promising next-day and even same-day delivery on millions of items — has achieved over 99% on-time delivery rates, setting benchmarks for last-mile logistics.

One of South Korea's largest mobile game developers, Netmarble produces globally distributed titles including Marvel Future Fight, Lineage 2: Revolution, and BTS World. The company is a major shareholder in Big Hit Entertainment (HYBE) and has aggressively expanded into the Western mobile gaming market through acquisitions.

The developer of Black Desert Online, one of the most visually advanced open-world MMORPGs ever made, Pearl Abyss has grown from a small Korean studio into an internationally recognized game developer with servers and players across 150 countries. The company is developing a major new title, "Crimson Desert," which has become one of the most anticipated open-world games in development globally.

The world's second-largest memory chip manufacturer after Samsung, SK Hynix produces DRAM and NAND flash semiconductors used in data centers, smartphones, and AI hardware. The company made headlines in 2023 as the first to supply HBM3 (High Bandwidth Memory) chips to Nvidia for its H100 AI accelerators, positioning it at the center of the AI hardware boom.

A global leader in home appliances, televisions, and electric vehicle components, LG Electronics generated approximately $56 billion in revenue in 2023. The company pivoted away from smartphones in 2021 to focus on EV components and B2B solutions, and its OLED TV business holds a dominant share of the global premium TV market.

Kakao operates KakaoTalk, South Korea's dominant messaging app used by over 95% of the Korean population, as well as a sprawling ecosystem of services including Kakao Pay, Kakao Mobility, Kakao Games, and Kakao Bank. The company had a total valuation peak exceeding $30 billion in 2021 and is often described as South Korea's equivalent of Tencent.

South Korea's dominant search engine and internet portal (analogous to Google in the Korean market), Naver also operates LINE (via LINE Corporation, popular in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand), Webtoon, and a rapidly expanding AI research division. Naver's HyperCLOVA X, released in 2023, is one of the most advanced large language models developed outside the U.S. and Europe.

The gaming company behind PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), one of the bestselling video games of all time with over 75 million copies sold on PC alone, Krafton went public in 2021 in South Korea's largest-ever tech IPO at the time, raising approximately $3.8 billion. The company has expanded aggressively into the Indian gaming market and new genre development.

While primarily an automaker, Hyundai Motor Group's technology division — including Boston Dynamics (acquired in 2021), Motional (autonomous driving JV with Aptiv), and Supernal (urban air mobility) — makes it one of Korea's most significant technology investors. The group has committed over $74 billion in U.S. investments through 2030 spanning EV manufacturing and robotics.

South Korea's dominant e-commerce platform, often described as "the Amazon of Korea," Coupang listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 raising $4.6 billion in one of the largest U.S. tech IPOs of that year. Its Rocket Delivery service — promising next-day and even same-day delivery on millions of items — has achieved over 99% on-time delivery rates, setting benchmarks for last-mile logistics.

One of South Korea's largest mobile game developers, Netmarble produces globally distributed titles including Marvel Future Fight, Lineage 2: Revolution, and BTS World. The company is a major shareholder in Big Hit Entertainment (HYBE) and has aggressively expanded into the Western mobile gaming market through acquisitions.

The developer of Black Desert Online, one of the most visually advanced open-world MMORPGs ever made, Pearl Abyss has grown from a small Korean studio into an internationally recognized game developer with servers and players across 150 countries. The company is developing a major new title, "Crimson Desert," which has become one of the most anticipated open-world games in development globally.