South Korea’s out-of-home advertising industry posted its largest annual revenue figure on record in 2025, reaching ₩4.65 trillion, according to the 2026 OOH Advertising Statistics report released by the Korea Out of Home Advertising Center (KOOHAC), a body within the Local Finance Association (LOFA). The headline number represents a modest 0.5% year-on-year increase, but the composition of the market tells a more interesting story: digital out-of-home (DOOH) grew 6.1% to ₩1.7649 trillion, lifting its share of total industry revenue to 38.0%, up from 36.0% in 2024.
The report, an officially approved national statistical survey published annually since 2017, draws on a sample of 2,000 OOH advertising businesses and a comprehensive survey of 243 metropolitan and local governments. It provides one of the most detailed public pictures of any single-country OOH market, covering revenue, employment and the local-government administration of outdoor advertising.
Building-mounted advertising remained the largest format category, generating ₩1.9916 trillion in revenue, up 6.0% year on year and representing 42.9% of the total market. Advertising at transportation facilities followed with ₩517.9 billion, while advertising on vehicles generated ₩413.7 billion and large-format digital printing for advertising contributed ₩391.4 billion. The standout growth line came from advertising in public spaces, which rose 11.9% to ₩305.4 billion, led by elevator advertising, up 28.1% to ₩161.9 billion — a sign of rising demand for placements inside apartment buildings and commercial facilities where people spend time every day.
By business activity, advertising production and installation generated ₩2.9577 trillion, up 2.3%, while media operations and agency services accounted for the remaining ₩1.6895 trillion. Employment across the industry reached 43,986 people in 2025, an increase of 710, or 1.6%, with production and installation employing 85.1% of the workforce.
KOOHAC head Cha Byung-jun said the record market size and continued digital growth highlighted the industry’s potential for further development, adding that the center would keep supporting competitiveness and sustainable growth as the advertising environment evolves. The Korean market has now sustained growth since the pandemic-driven contraction of 2020, when industry-wide revenue fell to ₩3.07 trillion before rebounding in every subsequent year.
For the global OOH industry, the Korean report is further evidence that digital formats are driving the medium’s recovery in mature markets. The two-percentage-point shift toward DOOH mirrors patterns seen in the United States, the United Kingdom and across Europe, where digital screens are absorbing an increasing share of budgets once reserved for static inventory. Korea’s elevator and in-building growth also underlines how OOH is moving closer to consumers’ daily routines — a trend with direct implications for media owners planning network expansion beyond traditional roadside formats.
Korea’s trajectory also offers a useful comparison point for other Asian markets. While China, Japan and India report far larger absolute OOH revenues, Korea’s 38% digital share places it among the most digitised OOH markets in the region, ahead of many European countries. The national statistics, produced with government oversight rather than industry self-reporting, give advertisers a reliable basis for comparing Korea against other markets when allocating regional budgets.
Why it matters: The record ₩4.65 trillion market, with DOOH now at 38% of revenue and in-building formats growing 28%, confirms that Asia’s advanced OOH economies are shifting decisively toward digital and proximity-based inventory — a benchmark for advertisers planning regional campaigns and for operators sizing their own digital transitions.
Source: MADTimes (Korea)
