LinkedIn seeks expansion in Korea

Professional social networking service LinkedIn Corp. said Thursday it has started a Korean language service to lure the country's Internet users. LinkedIn's entry into South Korea comes as overseas social networking services such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. have gained ground here following a rapid growth of smartphone users. Long hours of Internet use and a widespread broadband penetration, as well as the importance of networking, make Korea an attractive market for the company, Arvind Rajan, managing director and vice president of Asia Pacific and Japan at LinkedIn, told reporters in Seoul. Rajan said 300,000 Koreans have already joined the professional networking service and major corporations such as Samsung and LG operate business accounts on LinkedIn. LinkedIn could provide information about overseas career opportunities and help Koreans stay connected with global business networks, the official said. The company is also interested in building partnerships with local media companies and mobile operators in South Korea, he added. LinkedIn, based in Mountain View, California, has 135 million users from around 200 countries. Its online platform targets the professional world, offering ways to share industry knowledge, interact with people in the same career field and learn about career opportunities. The company is the latest Silicon Valley firm to break into the Korean market, as smartphones and the mobile Internet lower entry barriers for foreign Internet companies. Last month, online survey software provider SurveyMonkey announced its expansion plan in South Korea.