China-based antivirus company taps into Korean market

Models promote 360 Security, a mobile antivirus and performance application for Android powered handsets, during a launch event at the Lotte Hotel, Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of 360 Security By Bahk Eun-ji A mobile antivirus and performance application for Android powered smartphones ― 360 Security ― was launched in Korea Tuesday. The mobile antivirus app has more than 200 million users globally since it was launched in June 2013. Users can speed up their handsets, extend the battery life and clean up junk files for bigger memory space with just one click. It also protects the device from malware, adware and Trojan horses, 360 Security said. "Korea is one of the countries where Internet usage is the highest in the world. We believe the highest quality of product can be rolled out in the matured market just like here in Korea," said Yan Huang, chief operating officer of 360 Security during a launch event at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul. The COO said Korea is the most important test-market, especially in the IT industry, as its penetration rate of Android mobile phones is significant. Huang said 79 percent of people in Korea use smartphones, and 85 percent of those smartphones use the Android operating system. "We chose the Korean market as a stronghold in Asia to expand our market share gradually," the COO said. China-based companies are struggling to build strong reputations and avoiding that stigma is the key to success here, but Yan said Korean customers do not have to worry. "We already have more than 600 million users in China for Qihoo 360 Technology, the mother company of 360 Security, which has worked with a number of global IT giants such as Google, Amazon, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics on the mainland," the COO said. He said the 360 Security service has been proven to have high credibility in that sense. The mobile app is currently provided for free on the Android app market, Play Store. Answering the question how the Chinese tech company can develop a profit in the market, Fan Xia, vice president of 360 Security, said profit creation is not the company's urgent goal in Korea at the moment, but upgrading users' experience is the company's most important goal. x ejb@koreatimes.co.kr,