KakaoTalk is one of the best SMS and voice apps available.ĭownload and install free mac app file for KakaoTalk. It is less bloated than Skype and offers a quick interface and function. The service that KakaoTalk offers over data or Wi-Fi connections is great, since Wi-Fi is usually available in most countries, KakaoTalk is the best way to stay in contact with friends back home through voice and text. There's plenty of fun to be had with KakaoTalk, thanks to mobile game add-ons and a wide range of amusing emoticons that you can insert into yor chats. Other useful features of KakaoTalk include the ability to send multimedia (photos, and voice and video messages), participate in group chats, and apply voice filters, featuring characters from Talking Tom and Ben. KakaoTalk's best use is when you are traveling overseas and still want to connect with friends via Wi-Fi without costly international rates. The Plus Friends feature lets you 'connect' with many Korean pop stars which is kind of a gimmick, but shows updates from pop groups in South Korea. The app also allows for group messages and photo sharing. For friends who live in different countries, it is easier to use a username than using the general search. You can also create a KakaoTalk profile so other users can find you. Using your phone number, KakaoTalk creates a user profile that is connected to it allowing for calls and messages. The most popular character among Line Friends is Brown the bear. So it was not surprising that the flagship store of LINE FRIENDS is in Itaewon, the most international district in Seoul. KakaoTalk started as an SMS service that could connect users from different parts of the world but now it also allows for free voice calls. LINE FRIENDS Itaewon Flagship Store While KakaoTalk is dominant in Korea, Line is popular in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkmenistan and Indonesia. Most customers when I visited the shop were Koreans.KakaoTalk is one of the best VoIP and SMS apps available. KakaoTalk is the number one messaging app in South Korea and naturally, Kakao Friends are domestically popular. Kakao Friends Gangnam Flagship Store is a three-storied shop in the heart of Gangnam. These shops have now become a must-visit for tourist. Kakao has two flagship stores and Line has four flagship stores in Seoul.

The characters created by these two mobile messenger apps have attracted countless fans around the world, particularly, teenagers and young adults who are heavy messenger users.īoth Line and Kakao operate merchandising shops across Korea and around the globe.

Then, a year later Kakao followed the competitor. Line, a mobile messenger developed by a Japanese subsidiary of Korea’s internet search company Naver, started character merchandising business in 2011. This trend has been led by two mobile app companies: Line and Kakao.

Korea has seen a boom in the character market in recent years. Until very recently the most popular Korean souvenirs were traditional Korean masks, tea, folding fans or porcelain jars. Are you a fan of Ryan? or Brown? Or do you have any idea who they are?

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