Outdoor Advertising Market Hits Record KRW 4.6472 Trillion... Digital Ads Drive Growth

Korea Outdoor Advertising Center, an Affiliate of the Korea Local Finance Association, Releases 2026 Outdoor Advertising Statistics
Digital Outdoor Advertising Accounts for 38% of the Total Market; Elevator Ad Revenue Also Rises 28.1%

Last year, South Korea's outdoor advertising market reached KRW 4.6472 trillion, its largest size on record. While the overall market grew by just 0.5%, digital outdoor advertising expanded by 6.1%, driving market growth.

Overall outdoor advertising market size trend. Provided by the Korea Local Finance Association.

According to the "2026 Outdoor Advertising Statistics (as of 2025)," released on October 30 by the Korea Outdoor Advertising Center, an affiliate of the Korea Local Finance Association (Chairman Jeong Seonyong), digital outdoor advertising revenue totaled KRW 1.7649 trillion last year. Its share of the overall outdoor advertising market rose by 2.0 percentage points, from 36.0% in 2024 to 38.0% last year.

By business sector, revenue from advertising production and installation rose 2.3% from the previous year to KRW 2.9577 trillion. Revenue from media and advertising agencies totaled KRW 1.6895 trillion.

By advertising type, building-mounted ads generated KRW 1.9916 trillion, accounting for 42.9% of the overall market. This was a 6.0% increase from the previous year. They were followed by ads at transportation facilities at KRW 517.9 billion, ads on transportation vehicles at KRW 413.7 billion, and large-format printing for advertising at KRW 391.4 billion.

Advertising that makes use of everyday spaces also showed notable growth. Revenue from ads in public places reached KRW 305.4 billion, up 11.9% from the previous year, the highest growth rate among major advertising types. Of this, revenue from ads inside elevators totaled KRW 161.9 billion, an increase of 28.1%.

The outdoor advertising industry employed 43,986 people, up 710 (1.6%) from the previous year. Production and installation accounted for 37,412 workers, or 85.1% of the total, while media and advertising agencies employed 6,574 (14.9%).

Changes in Analog and Digital Advertising Revenue. Provided by the Korea Local Finance Association.

The Outdoor Advertising Statistics are government-approved statistics covering market size, employment, and the related administrative practices of local governments. This year's statistics were compiled based on a sample survey of 2,000 outdoor advertising businesses nationwide and a complete survey of 243 metropolitan and local governments.

"The continued growth of digital outdoor advertising is a meaningful result that demonstrates the industry's growth potential and capacity for change," said Cha Byungjun, head of the Korea Outdoor Advertising Center. "We will actively respond to changes in the industry environment and support stronger competitiveness and sustainable growth."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.