The number of high-speed Internet service users in South Korea is expected to surpass the 20 million mark this year, industry data showed Sunday.

The number of broadband Internet service subscribers in the country was estimated to be slightly over 19.21 million as of end-November, according to the data compiled by the Korea Association of Information and Telecommunication.

Top fixed line operator KT Corp. had some 8.15 million high-speed internet subscribers, followed by SK Broadband Co. and LG Uplus Corp. with 4.78 million and 3.01 million, respectively.

Another 3.16 million households also subscribe to high-speed Internet services provided by cable TV system operators, the report showed.

“Internet subscription is saturated, but the subscription may continue to rise as single-person households increase,” an official at KAIT said.

The country launched its first high-speed Internet service in 1998, with the number of subscriptions surpassing the 10 million mark in October 2002. (Yonhap)