KakaoTalk

KakaoTalk is South Korea's most-used messaging app, with near-universal adoption that makes it the practical baseline for reaching anyone in the country.

As with LINE in Japan, it extends well past messaging: payments, taxi hailing, gifting and business channels all sit on the same account, and its gift-sending feature in particular is a normal part of social life rather than a novelty.

Any brand operating in Korea is expected to have a Kakao channel — it functions less as a marketing option and more as a basic customer contact requirement.