In Response to South Korean Government's Request for Function Changes... World's Largest Sports App 'Strava' Withdraws

Strava unable to accept requests for feature changes
due to data security and personal information protection concerns
Withdraws from Korean market in early March
along with China, North Korea, Cuba, Russia, and Belarus

Strava, the world's largest sports application, has withdrawn from the Korean market due to digital user protection regulations imposed by the Korea Communications Commission. Since early this month, the Strava app has been unavailable for download on the Korean Apple App Store and Google Play Store. In addition to Korea, Strava has also ceased services in China, North Korea, Cuba, Russia, and Belarus.

Regarding the reason for withdrawing from the Korean market, a Strava representative told Asia Economy on the 21st, "The Korea Communications Commission and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) requested changes to some app features citing data security and personal information protection for Strava users in Korea," adding, "We do not have the capability to create country-specific apps, so we decided to withdraw from the Korean market." KISA stated that the Digital User Base Division at the Korea Communications Commission was responsible for the task, and KISA, which handles security, provided technical support.

Founded in 2009 in San Francisco, USA, Strava is a startup operating the world's most widely used sports platform. It has an estimated 130 million users worldwide. Its distinctive feature is utilizing the smartphone's built-in Global Positioning System (GPS). Users can check leaderboards for specific segments and compare their current and past records on the same segment. It has also gained popularity for motivating users by sharing exercise achievements with followers within the app.

Strava announced that it has withdrawn its services not only from South Korea but also from China, North Korea, Cuba, Russia, and Belarus.

Many users were taken aback by the sudden termination of the service. On sports communities, reactions included, "All my exercise records disappeared after Strava withdrew," and "I am considering what alternatives to Strava might be available."

Previously, Strava faced criticism for security threats due to revealing the locations of U.S. military bases and the activity ranges of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Syria. In July 2023, a retired Russian naval officer who was a frequent Strava user was assassinated. He was listed as a war criminal in the Ukraine war. At that time, Russian media speculated that Strava's location data might have been used in his assassination.