South Korea Eyes 15%-20% Public Delivery App Share as Baemin and Coupang Eats Hold 93%
Updated
Updated · 코리아타임스 · Aug 25
South Korea Eyes 15%-20% Public Delivery App Share as Baemin and Coupang Eats Hold 93%
2 articles · Updated · 코리아타임스 · Aug 25
Summary
President Lee Jae Myung ordered measures to strengthen public delivery apps after officials said Baemin and Coupang Eats control about 93% of South Korea’s food delivery market.
12 local-government-backed apps have struggled to keep users once subsidies faded, with low fees alone failing to offset weaker features, thinner restaurant networks and lower service quality.
65 billion won in 2025 support helped drive usage, but some platforms still shrank or failed outright: Gunsan’s Baedal Myeongsu fell to 5.2 billion won in annual transactions last year from 9.06 billion won in 2021, while Busan’s Dongbaek Tong closed in 2024.
Next year’s budget will fund a new push to lift public apps’ combined market share to 15%-20%, though Lee said integration and more efficient management matter more than simply adding subsidies.
Public apps were launched from 2020 to counter private commissions of up to 7.8%, but analysts say they need sustained investment in delivery infrastructure, user experience and scale to become viable alternatives.