YouTube Premium prices to jump at least 43 percent in Korea

A user signs up for a YouTube Premium account [SHUTTERSTOCK]

YouTube raised the prices of its Premium subscription service by nearly 43 percent — and up to 71.5 percent for some — in Korea, three years after its last price hike.

The video sharing platform said the monthly price will increase to 14,900 won ($11.3) from 10,450 won, a 42.6 percent increase.

The price change will be implemented for new users starting Friday.

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Long-time users, who subscribed to the service before September 2020, will be given a three-month grace period, while those who subscribed after September 2020 will be given a 30-day grace period until the price change takes effect.

This is YouTube's first price hike since September 2020, when the monthly fees were raised from 8,690 won to 10,450 won. Users who were already subscribed at the time were exempt from the price hike and still pay 8,690 won per year, so for those users, the newest change will be a hike of 71.5 percent.

With YouTube Premium, people can watch videos and use the service without any advertisements.

The price jump in Korea is comparatively much larger than in many other countries. The YouTube subscription increased its price the United States from $11.99 to $13.99, up 17 percent, in July.

In Britain, the price went up only 8 percent to ￡12.99.

Some Korean users are venting their anger online and sharing tips on how to change their IP location to imitate being in countries like Argentina, India or Turkey, where they could enjoy the same service for as low as $1.03 per month.

"I immediately unsubscribed to the Premium service after noticing that the price hike is nearly 5,000 won," a comment read. "I saw so many people sharing a method to use a VPN to pay a dramatically cheaper price, and am considering doing that as well."

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]