Web Design for the Korean Market 101

Here’s a quick rap sheet for WEB DESIGN FOR THE KOREAN MARKET
(aesthetically speaking):

Benchmarks:  (note: Korean sites are usually best viewed in IE.  Many Korean sites will not display properly in FF, Safari or other browsers).

Portal/Search: use www.NAVER.com as you benchmark. Not Daum.

Social Network: www.cyworld.com
(you must look at the pop-up “mini-hompies”– that’s the meat of it.)

Community/Forums: www.dcinside.com

Blog: www.tistory.com

Flash: www.kidzania.co.kr

Commercial: www.flowerfund.co.kr

Ecommerce: www.Gmarket.com

Korea Portal Naver

if you need other examples, you have to give me a specific area.

Anyway.. here’s the bullet point rundown:

Pastel colors, media rich, loud, flashy, lots of flash ok (esp. for menus and stuff like that)

Richard, you’re becoming a must-read for me. Great post.

The rest of you, read the whole thing. You’ll hate everything he says, but he’s 100% right on. I haven’t been an IE user for years, but I keep it handy each and every time I visit a Korean site. I load up all the active X I can get my hands on, update Flash, and put on my sunglasses to ward off the glare from flashing graphics.