As the smartphone craze spreads in Asia, cell phone users are rapidly buying the new fancy gadget. A recent finding by market watcher Nielsen Company clearly shows that smartphone use is poised to soar in Asia, bringing with it a dramatic change in how Asians access information on the Internet. But, with that comes a new concern, mobile security.

Amongst Asians, South Koreans are big fans of smartphones. Nearly half (47 percent) of South Koreans polled intend to purchase a smartphone within the next six months, according to market research firm ABI Research (News - Alert). This result is based on a consumer survey conducted this year among 1000 South Koreans by the technology research firm.

According to ABI Research, South Koreans already own an average of 1.6 mobile devices each, and are among the world’s most enthusiastic consumers of new mobile technologies, upgrading their devices frequently.

In a statement, ABI Research practice director Neil Strother said, “South Koreans are keen adopters of mobile money services, using mobile devices to do banking (a very high 69 percent of respondents), and pay bills (40 percent).”

He added, “ Curiously, though, most South Koreans have little confidence in the security of their mobile phones: only 7 percent believed they were completely or very secure, while 59 percent rated security as low or nonexistent. Either they rationally accept heightened risk as the price of engaging in activities they find useful, or, like many of us, would rather not think about it.”

According to Strother, “Nearly 45 percent of those polled reported having clicked on a mobile advertisement at least once; of those, 40 percent received a coupon as a result, and a significant 27 percent actually downloaded or purchased content as a result.”

This data comes from ABI’s “Technology Barometer: Mobile – 1Q 2011 South Korea Survey Result,” which is a primary research-based tracking study that provides dynamic insight into the constantly-changing South Korean consumer mobility market. It provides detailed current usage information, and next six-month purchase intentions for mobile phones, smartphones, and tablets. ABI said that usage and perceptions of mobile money services, mobile advertising, location-based services, and multi-device data sharing plans were also covered in the survey.

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