South Korea ranks 22nd in fixed broadband index; ministry questions comparisons
In short
South Korea's median fixed-broadband download speed was 251.33 Mbps, ranking 22nd in Ookla's index, local outlets reported. The science ministry said unpublished measurement conditions limited objective comparisons between countries.
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South Korea ranked 22nd in fixed-broadband download speed in Ookla's Speedtest Global Index, with a median of 251.33 Mbps, according to local reports. Singapore led at 462.50 Mbps, while Vietnam ranked eighth at 301.48 Mbps and Thailand ninth at 298.92 Mbps. Most reports identified the figures as August data, although Yonhap's October 14 report described them as being for the previous month. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 8 ]
South Korea ranked sixth for mobile internet download speed at 250.56 Mbps. The five countries ahead of it were the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Germany and Brazil, Yonhap reported. Seoul ranked 34th for fixed broadband, while Busan ranked 44th. In the mobile city rankings, Seoul was 13th and Busan 32nd, according to the agency. [ 4 ]
The Ministry of Science and ICT said objective comparisons between countries were limited because Ookla had not disclosed detailed measurement conditions, methods or the composition of internet service plans being evaluated, Newsis reported. The ministry also cited unavailable information on measurement counts and speed distributions. Outlets noted that users voluntarily conduct the tests and that fixed-broadband figures also include measurements using mobile Wi-Fi. [ 4 , 6 , 8 ]
The ministry cited its 2025 telecommunications quality assessment, which measured 91.91 Mbps for 100 Mbps services, 496.05 Mbps for 500 Mbps services and 987.70 Mbps for 1 Gbps services. Electronic Times cautioned that South Korea's first-place result in an Akamai report in 2017 and the latest Ookla ranking came from different organisations and calculation methods, limiting simple comparisons of performance changes. It also said plans, devices and testing locations can affect speeds. [ 5 , 6 , 8 ]
Why it matters
The ministry cited separate domestic quality tests showing different results for each service tier. Outlets also cautioned that the ranking alone cannot establish a gap in national telecommunications technology.
Key facts
- South Korea ranked 22nd for fixed broadband at 251.33 Mbps. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
- Vietnam ranked eighth at 301.48 Mbps and Thailand ninth at 298.92 Mbps. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
- South Korea ranked sixth for mobile download speed at 250.56 Mbps. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The ministry said undisclosed measurement conditions limited objective international comparison. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 8 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The reporting period for the figures. Most outlets identify August, while Yonhap's October 14 report says the previous month.
- How directly the ranking reflects national technology differences. The ministry and outlets cite voluntary sampling, different devices and plans, and undisclosed measurement conditions.