MySpace launches Korean-language site

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The co-founder of MySpace said he believes the popular online hangout is poised to succeed in South Korea after closely scrutinizing U.S. Internet services that have faced challenges making inroads here.

Speaking after the launch of MySpace's Korean-language version in Seoul, Chris DeWolfe said he was confident about its prospects in a country that has proved difficult for foreign online services such as Google.

He noted the Korean-language site included the exclusive function "Minilog," a way for Korean youths to jot down everyday thoughts and feelings in a few hundred characters.

Capitalizing on Asian affinity for fancy stationery, the function has options to personalize stamps and backgrounds to resemble different types of notebook paper.

"We believe that there's different cultures in every country," DeWolfe told a forum at Seoul's elite Yonsei University in the South Korean capital Seoul. "We believe that people use Web sites differently in every country."

MySpace is expected to face stiff competition from local social-networking sites such as Cyworld in a local market that has typically shunned U.S. online services popular elsewhere in the world.

Local search engines such as NHN Corp.'s Naver Web site and Daum Communications remain dominant in South Korea, regarded as one of the world's most wired and tech savvy nations. It is one of the few global markets, for example, where Google Inc. is not the dominant search engine.

MySpace, a unit of media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., also plans to launch a site for India later this week. Last week, it expanded its offerings for Latinos based in the United States.

Some who attended the forum where DeWolfe spoke expressed skepticism about MySpace.

"I think one major problem facing MySpace is whether and how they can overcome the language barrier," said Lee Da-young, a 20-year-old university student. "I wonder how many Koreans can communicate with those abroad in English."

The MySpace site will be primarily in Korean, though users can easily switch the interface to another language. Information written on the personal profile pages, however, won't be automatically translated.

Kang Ji-hye, a 29-year-old office worker, said South Koreans prefer to stick with the familiar.

"I think chances for MySpace's success are 50 percent," she said. E-mail to a friend

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