Family Membership Not Available in Korea
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Byun Jae-il remarked on Oct. 8 that YouTube is discriminating against South Korea with regard to the YouTube Premium family membership.
At present, YouTube Premium in South Korea is priced at 10,450 won and 14,000 won a month for Android phone and iPhone users, respectively. The fixed monthly prices are lower than those in the United States, Japan, Britain and France. However, the family membership is not available in South Korea and, as such, the actual prices are higher in South Korea.
With the family membership, up to six persons sharing the same address can enjoy YouTube Premium together. For example, a family of four in the United States can enjoy the service on their Android phones by paying US$17.99, which is equivalent to about 5,000 won per person.
“Different countries have different market environments, and we consider various factors in launching services,” YouTube said, adding, “It is hard to pinpoint why the family membership is currently unavailable in South Korea.”
“From May to July this year, Google accounted for no less than 23.5 percent of the average daily traffic in the South Korean market and more and more people here are using YouTube,” the lawmaker said, pointing out that Google has to give a proper answer as to why it is discriminating against them.