The growth of South Korea's smart connected device market is expected to turn negative this year for the first time from growing market saturation, data showed on Tuesday.

According to the data compiled by market researcher IDC Corp., the country's smart connected device market, which includes smartphones and tablet PCs, is estimated at 21.85 trillion won (US$20.78 billion) for the year, down 7.9 percent from a year earlier. In terms of volume, a total of 28.3 million smart connected devices are expected to be shipped this year, also down 5 percent from a year earlier.

It is interesting to note that the Korean connected device market is the first in the world to reach near saturation and this poses some unique opportunities for the future of the market, which is widely seen as the most experienced in the world. Korea will increasingly become a barometer for trends within the industry, over the coming years.

Original Post: Yonhap News