As of November 2021, the number of 5G mobile network users was 20 million in South Korea, having climbed constantly since the service was commercialised in 2019. According to research from the Ministry of Science and ICT, this is roughly 28% of the total 72.57 million mobile subscriptions in South Korea.

The total was 19.38 million users in October, and it is thought releases like the iPhone 13 have helped increase the number of 5G users. The launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold3 and Flip3 in late August have also been cited as influential factors for the rise of 5G. Sales of Samsung’s foldable smartphones reportedly reached one million just over a month after launch.

SK Telecom is South Korea’s most-subscribed mobile carrier, with a reported 9.52 million 5G users. KT Corp has registered 6.16 million users, while LG Uplus Corp. has 4.46 million users. 

To contrast, the number of subscribers to 4G networks has fallen in South Korea. There were 48.55 million users in November, which still reportedly makes up 67% of mobile subscriptions.