South Korea is synonymous with tech innovation. The country dominates the global semiconductor market — especially memory-chip exports — and is home to household consumer electronics brands like Samsung and LG. It’s also where 5G networks were first rolled out, leading to the debut of the first smartphone with built-in 5G technology, the Galaxy S10, and some of the fastest internet speeds in the world. Not to mention the first-ever mass market hydrogen car by another well-known homegrown brand, Hyundai.
With more than 2,100 tech scaleups in the artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech and digital entertainment industry, South Korean-born companies — like the ones listed below — are actively shaping the next era of global tech to come.
Top Tech Companies in Korea to Know
- Samsung Electronics
- SK Hynix
- LG Electronics
- Hyundai Motor
- Naver
Top Tech Companies in Korea
Industry: Customer Experience; Artificial Intelligence
Sendbird is a customer-experience platform that offers Delight.ai, its branded AI concierge, and the Sendbird Communication Suite, its enterprise in-app messaging APIs. More than 4,000 companies — including DoorDash, Match Group, Noom and Yahoo Sports — rely on its infrastructure to handle over seven billion monthly conversations across chat, voice, video and cross-platform messaging. Founded in 2013 in Korea, the company is now headquartered in California and hosts more than 300 million active users.
Industry: Consumer Technology; Electronics
Samsung Electronics is one of the largest tech companies in the world. The Samsung Galaxy maker is the largest smartphone vendor and TV manufacturer, offering a wide product portfolio that also includes everything from tablets and home appliances to semiconductors and memory chips. Today, it operates in more than 70 countries, with a 260,000-person workforce globally, advancing in areas like IoT, smart home and digital health, while also driving next-generation innovations that anchor Korea’s reputation as a high-tech manufacturing powerhouse.
Industry: Semiconductors
SK Hynix is a one of the world’s largest makers of memory chips, including DRAM and NAND flash. Founded in 1983 as Hyundai Electronics, the company supplies memory solutions to major tech players like Microsoft, Apple, Dell and HP, powering everything from smartphones and PCs to servers and networking equipment. Its products are integral to global IT infrastructure, and can be found across the spectrum of consumer electronics to enterprise data centers.
Industry: Consumer Technology; Home Appliances
Multinational corporation LG Electronics is known for its TVs, refrigerators, washing machines and home gadgets. Originally founded in 1958 as ‘GoldStar,’ LG has grown to include 100 subsidiaries, combining hardware innovation with software and services across home entertainment, vehicle components and business solutions. It’s one of the largest TV manufacturers in the world and a major shareholder of LG Display, the top display-panel maker by revenue. In a strategic shift, the company exited the smartphone market in 2021.
Industry: Automotive
Hyundai Motor is South Korea’s flagship automaker, exporting more than four million vehicles annually for customers across 193 countries. Founded in 1967 as part of the broader Hyundai Group, the company’s many contributions include pioneering hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and wearable robotic exoskeletons. Headquartered in Seoul, Hyundai operates one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturing plants in Ulsan, but also oversees Kia and luxury brand Genesis and produces its own steel to build its vehicle lineup — a rarity in the global car industry.
Industry: Cryptocurrency; Blockchain
Dunamu is best known for operating Upbit, Korea’s dominant cryptocurrency exchange. With growing interest in blockchain, digital assets and fintech, Dunamu offers stock trading and asset management services, while expanding into Southeast Asia through partnerships like Vietnam’s first domestic crypto exchange with MB Bank. The company also develops Web3 infrastructure and NFT projects, including collaborations with K-pop agency Hybe, positioning itself at the forefront of Korea’s digital-finance landscape.
Industry: Telecommunications
KT Corporation is one of South Korea’s largest telecommunications providers, offering mobile, internet and enterprise digital services to millions of customers. Founded in 1981, the company has played a key role in the development of Korea’s broadband, 5G and cloud infrastructure. It operates across both fixed-line and wireless networks, serving roughly 90 percent of the country’s landline subscribers.
Industry: IT Services; Digital Services
Samsung SDS is the IT-services affiliate of Samsung. It provides consulting, cloud, AI, IoT and enterprise solutions worldwide, extending Samsung beyond consumer electronics into digital transformation. Founded in 1985, it has evolved from systems integration to AI, smart-factory automation and blockchain-based enterprise security. With a presence in 41 countries, Samsung SDS helps businesses modernize operations and scale their technology.
Industry: Search; Internet Services; Artificial Intelligence
Often described as the Amazon-Google hybrid of Korea, Naver started as a search portal in 1999 and has since grown into the country’s most visited website — even dominating Google with its local reach. Its platform powers everything from Korea’s most popular Q&A service, Knowledge iN, to e-commerce, fintech and cloud infrastructure. Naver also invests heavily in AI and robotics, like its CLOVA X chatbot. With tens of millions of domestic users, its international presence continues to grow.
Industry: Game Development
Game developer NCSoft is globally recognized for large-scale multiplayer online role-playing games like Lineage, Aion and Blade & Soul, as well as for publishing the Guild Wars series. Since its start in 1997, the company has expanded internationally, with subsidiaries in North America, Europe, Japan and Taiwan, supporting a 210-million player base across more than 240 countries.
Industry: Automotive
As a core supplier for the Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai Mobis provides the safety electronics, electric vehicle components and ADASs (advanced driver-assistance systems) that underpin today’s modern cars. And in 2025, it took a big step forward by spearheading a 20-plus-company initiative to build a domestic “K-automotive semiconductor” ecosystem, highlighting its expanding role in automotive tech and chip innovation.
Industry: Battery Manufacturing
LG Energy Solution, the battery-manufacturing arm spun out of LG Chem in 2020, is one of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery producers. The company holds more than 80,000 patents — the most of any battery maker globally — that powers electric vehicles, mobility devices, IT hardware and large-scale energy storage systems. With a manufacturing footprint that spans North America, Europe and Asia, LG Energy Solution plays an outsized role in the global shift toward electrification and clean-energy infrastructure.
Industry: Mobile Messaging; Digital Services
Kakao runs the messaging app KakaoTalk used by roughly 97 percent of the population — that’s more than 48.9 million South Koreans. Since its 2010 merger with Daum Communications, the company has expanded into mobility, fintech and digital services, creating an integrated ecosystem. Its entertainment division manages webtoons, films and K-pop, using the platform’s technology to maximize content value and deliver a cross-platform digital experience.
Industry: Game Development
Krafton is a Korean game-development and publishing company, known globally for blockbuster titles like PUBG: Battlegrounds and TERA. Founded in 2018 as the parent company of Bluehole, its studios specialize in large-scale online and multiplayer game technology. In 2025, Krafton unveiled plans of an AI-first transformation, building a $70 million GPU cluster and collaborating with SK Telecom to create advanced AI models for more immersive gaming experiences.
Industry: IT Services; Digital Services
LG CNS is the IT-services unit of the LG group, offering cloud, system integration, AI and enterprise digital-transformation services. Founded in 1987, the company serves clients across a wide variety of industries from manufacturing and finance to telecommunications and chemicals. It was re-listed for public trading in 2025 to support growing demand for digitization.
Industry: Telecommunications; Consumer Technology
SK Telecom is South Korea’s largest wireless carrier, serving more than 23 million subscribers. Founded in 1984, the company has been a pioneer in mobile technology, launching the world’s first 3G synchronized IMT-2000 system, commercializing HSDPA and debuting 5G. Today, SK Telecom extends beyond connectivity, investing heavily in AI, cloud, IoT, metaverse and digital services as next-gen technology rollout.
