Jang Seob Yoon
Research expert covering South Korea
Smart homes in South Korea - statistics and facts
From light switches to washing machines, almost everything in the house is getting smarter. By utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) among different objects, it is anticipated that smart homes will provide benefits such as optimized energy consumption and tailored settings that match individual routines. The South Korean government has launched initiatives like “AI@Home” to promote private sector growth and encourage a lively aftermarket by establishing smart home certification centers in the country.
How have smart homes developed in South Korea?
Connectivity among devices underpins the concept of smart homes. However, differing protocols used by various manufacturers have led to challenges in setting up a seamless network. This has led to a somewhat fragmented emergence despite the contemporary prevalence of smart household appliances, such as speakers and robot vacuum cleaners. In modern South Korean homes, pre-installed wall pad controls have become a common method of providing smart home technology to consumers; however, these systems are built with heterogeneous standards, and thus compatibility remains an issue. The development of “Matter”, which is a connectivity protocol accessible free of charge, aims to alleviate this problem of divergence by offering native interoperability around the world regardless of the manufacturer.Who are the key players in the domestic market?
It seems as though almost every major domestic company offers some type of smart home appliance. Among them, South Korean tech giants LG and Samsung enjoy prominence in the smart home sector. The broad portfolios of the two companies work in their favor, as they can offer a more organic product ecosystem compared to their competitors. For example, survey results found that the pre-installed app included in Samsung smartphones was used by a significant portion of consumers. Other notable South Korean companies are Naver and Kakao, with both coming from a software background and producing smart speakers. Additionally, the three major domestic telecommunications providers also offer smart home appliances.Outlook on smart homes
The prospect of fully integrated smart homes depicts an intriguing future. Users can enjoy connected products that provide customized experiences in diverse aspects of everyday life, taking efficiency and convenience to the next level. In the years to come, there are ambitions to expand this framework to commercial spaces as well, pushing the boundaries of customer experiences and the digital transformation of the workplace. Nevertheless, high prices and currently limited-use cases mean that companies will need to convince consumers of their high-tech visions in the short term.
