Mobile Phone Subscriptions Outnumber People in Korea

Korea now has more mobile phones than people, with the number of mobile service subscribers hitting the 50 million mark.

The Korea Communications Commission said Wednesday that as of Sept. 8, the number of subscribers to wireless communications services totaled 50.05 million. As Statistics Korea estimates the nation's population at 48.88 million, the mobile phone penetration rate comes to 102.4 percent.

"Many people carry multiple mobile phones," a KCC official said. "With more and more devices now using mobile networks such as notebooks and tablet PCs, the number of subscribers is likely to continue to grow."