Tim Cook says S. Korea's developer ecosystem 'exemplifies' App Store values as transactions double in 5 years

Transactions on Apple's App Store generated by South Korean users reached 38.1 trillion won ($26.7 billion) last year, more than doubling over five years, Apple said Wednesday.

Apple CEO Tim Cook singled out South Korea's developer ecosystem in an unusually direct endorsement, saying it "exemplifies the values the App Store has pursued from the outset," and pledged continued support.

Apple held an online briefing Wednesday, saying the figure represented more than double the 2020 total and that developers paid Apple no commission on more than 90 percent of domestic transactions last year.

Cook said in a statement released alongside the briefing that Apple would "support Korean developers in achieving the best outcomes through the App Store and Apple's software and hardware ecosystem."

The figures Apple disclosed at the briefing came from a study on South Korea's App Store ecosystem conducted jointly by Analysis Group and Seoul National University.

According to the research, transactions in physical goods and services accounted for the largest share at about 32.3 trillion won, followed by digital goods and services at 3.7 trillion won and in-app advertising at 2.1 trillion won.

Apple said smaller domestic developers also shared in the growth, with gains distributed across developers of all sizes, not just large operators. "Sales by small developers grew 85 percent over the past five years," the company said.

In-app advertising revenue has also risen as Apple expanded its advertising-based business model. An Apple spokesperson said total advertising revenue more than tripled since 2020, and that apps made by Korean developers accounted for about 50 percent of revenue and about 60 percent of downloads among apps used by domestic users last year. The spokesperson added that revenue Korean developers earned from domestic users grew 56 percent between 2020 and 2025.

Korean developers showed particularly strong results in overseas markets. An Apple spokesperson said Korean developers earning revenue abroad did so across an average of 30 regions outside Korea, and that about 85 percent of App Store downloads of Korean games came from users outside the country.

The spokesperson added that more than 95 percent of Korean developers active on the App Store are small developers, and that revenue generated by that group grew about 85 percent between 2020 and 2025.

The briefing also highlighted how domestic developers have used the App Store. One prominent example was "Play Together," a social game developed by Haegin that has surpassed 230 million cumulative downloads in the five years since its launch, with more than 90 percent of its users based outside South Korea.

Lee Chang-yun, head of business development at Haegin, said Apple's decision to feature Play Together as a recommended game on App Stores worldwide "gave a strong boost to the community we build together with our users" and contributed to the game's growth over the past five years.

Apple said it plans to support domestic developers throughout the entire process — from app development and launch to overseas expansion — to sustain that growth momentum.

"The Apple App Store is an engine that drives developer growth," an Apple spokesperson said, adding that the company would release new App Store features in the second half of the year to give developers greater flexibility in app advertising and user acquisition, and to help them introduce new business models for subscriptions and in-app purchases.

Apple also said it runs a developer training program in South Korea. The company has operated the Apple Developer Academy together with Pohang University of Science and Technology since 2022, producing more than 1,000 graduates to date. The curriculum includes both online and in-person programs — such as "Meet Apple Experts" sessions — designed to help domestic developers make use of Apple's technology and development tools.