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Telegram downloads surge in Korea on fears of censorship under martial law

Published: 10 Dec. 2024, 13:15 Updated: 10 Dec. 2024, 14:26

A captured image of Telegram Messenger on an app store [YONHAP]

Downloads of the global messaging app Telegram have spiked in Korea, data showed Tuesday, as concerns brewed over possible media censorship following the martial law fiasco.

The number of new Telegram installations came to 40,576 last Tuesday, according to data compiled by industry tracker IGAWorks, the day President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, which was reversed by the National Assembly within hours.

The tally was more than fourfold the 9,016 new installations posted the previous day.

Data also showed that Telegram was the most downloaded mobile messenger app in the country from Tuesday to Friday last week.

Last month, Telegram ranked fourth on the list of newly downloaded mobile messengers here, while Line, a messenger developed by Korean internet portal operator Naver, was at the top spot.

Many internet users had expressed concerns over the possible shutdown of domestic messaging apps, such as KakaoTalk, or censorship on such platforms under martial law, saying they have downloaded Telegram as an alternative.

Yonhap