Image: Starlink
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service is officially going live in South Korea on December 4, marking yet another major expansion for the company’s rapidly growing global network. Starlink Korea confirmed the launch this week and has already begun accepting pre-orders for its Residential plan, priced at 87,000 won (roughly $59 USD) per month.
According to local industry sources, Starlink Korea will activate service domestically starting Thursday morning. The company has posted details of its Residential plan online, offering unlimited data with the Standard Starlink kit — including the dish and Wi-Fi router — for 550,000 won (about $375 USD). New subscribers also get a 30-day free trial. While corporate pricing has yet to be revealed, sales are expected to run through local resellers such as SK Telink and KT Sat.
Starlink’s arrival in South Korea comes as the low-Earth-orbit broadband provider continues an aggressive worldwide rollout. SpaceX recently announced that Starlink has surpassed eight million users across more than 150 countries and territories — a list South Korea will soon join. The service relies on thousands of satellites orbiting at altitudes around 300 miles, enabling high-speed internet connections for homes, businesses, and mobile devices with latency closer to ground-based networks than traditional satellite offerings.
The momentum behind Starlink has been building on multiple fronts. Beyond residential and enterprise use, it has become increasingly popular in aviation, securing major in-flight Wi-Fi deals with international airlines. SpaceX also recently rolled out satellite phone connectivity in several regions, with Chile being the most recent to receive the service. The company recently even began opening its first physical Starlink retail stores in the U.S., signaling a broader consumer push.
Meanwhile, Starlink’s closest potential competitor — Amazon’s newly rebranded Amazon Leo service — isn’t expected to begin commercial operations until next year. With fewer than 200 satellites currently in orbit, Amazon is still far from offering coverage in markets like South Korea and even further from matching Starlink’s global reach.
With service now imminent, South Korean consumers and businesses will soon gain their first taste of Starlink’s high-speed satellite connectivity — and SpaceX’s global expansion shows no signs of slowing down.
