Korean mobile operators to integrate app stores to overcome Google and Apple

Three companies that operate mobile application markets – SK Planet, which is a subsidiary of SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus – have started a project to integrate app store infrastructure. It is a joint project initiated to gain a competitive advantage in the Korean app market that is now dominated by the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.

According to the mobile industry on Tuesday, the three companies started “One Store Project,” a project for the integration of infrastructure of T-Store (SK Telecom), Olleh Market (KT) and U+ Store (LG Uplus), and distributed manuals to their developers on Monday. They will change their separate developers’ centers to an integrated developers’ center in early April and manage the three company’s services such as store apps and games altogether.

Game or content developers had to develop different products tailored to the three different app markets. If the developers’ centers are integrated, they can register one product to three app stores at the same time.

“The cooperation of the three companies will allow developers to meet Korean smartphone users at a time and users will also download various contents easily,” said a source from the information and communications technology industry.

dong@donga.com