While Google and Yahoo may be big names in Western world internet, the landscape is a little different in Korea. Naver is the reigning search service with greater than 75 percent market share in search, while Daum controls Korea’s online maps. Just introduced last month, Daum’s digital mapping service has already surpassed Yahoo in traffic. Yahoo first introduced its maps to Korea in 2007, but in little over a month Daum has amassed 2.5 million map visitors to Yahoo’s 530, 000. Google doesn’t come close to competing with either.
This has forced Google and Yahoo to join hands in a make-or-break move to grab Korea’s location-based services market. Under the terms of the agreement, Google will add Youtube Korea clips to Yahoo’s map search, while Yahoo will interconnect its Gugi local business search with Google Maps.
It’s a rare case when the two search behemoths are forced to join together to succeed, but Korean law has made it tough for either to penetrate the country’s traditionally closed internet environment.
Could you imagine Google and Yahoo working together in the United States or Canada? I can’t see it.
via the korea times
