By Yoon Ja-young
For many people who are not native speakers of English, domain addresses, which are in the English alphabet, have no meaning. If businesses were able to identify a domain in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, consumers wouldn’t forget their addresses. Overseeing policies and the governance of dot Asia domains, DotAsia Organization is scheduled to launch domains in Hangeul. With the debut of the new domains, a restaurant that specializes in Samgyeopsal, or Korean pork, for instance, may consider having Samgyeopsal, written in Hangeul, plus dot Asia, as its domain name.
“Maybe you are used to typing www dot in English characters. When you think of the millions and billions of users in Asia, however, they may not use English as their first language,” said Edmon Chung, CEO of DotAsia, in an interview with The Korea Times.
He said that Hangeul domains would especially benefit small companies. “Their brands are local and people recognize brands in the local language. And Hangeul. Aisa can help promote their image.”
DotAsia is a non-profit organization formed by the government and government-related entities that operate country domains like dot kr, dot cn, or dot jp. It currently has 29 members throughout Asia. It uses the income from domain registrations to assist people access the Internet, such as through “one laptop per child,” sending laptops to children in rural villages in China, Bhutan, and Cambodia, or supporting research projects or addressing problems to close the digital divide.
The organization also operates dot Asia domains. Despite a general lack of awareness of such domains, there are already about a quarter of a million dot Asia sites, and the number is growing fast.
Chung said dot Asia domains have some core values. “When a Korean brand markets in a Chinese Internet community or in Singapore or Malaysia, utilizing dot Asia may encourage friendliness,” Chung said. He cited a recent campaign by the Development Bank of Singapore as an example. It is using DBS.asia to campaign across Asia, highlighting how DBS is an Asian bank. Korean girl group Wonder Girls also launched wondergirls.asia during a concert tour in Hong Kong. Chung said that Korean celebrities who have fans across Asia can utilize such domains to more easily connect with fans on the continent.
Companies from the United States and Europe also look for dot Asia domains when they advance into the local market.
Dot Asia domains boosts search engine optimization as well. When people look for information while traveling in Asia, for instance, Asia becomes a part of their search. When a domain includes Asia in it, it naturally promotes search engine optimization. If the user comes from China, search engines rank domains in dot cn first, followed by dot Asia, then dot com.
It is much the same with Hangeul dot Asia domains. “Most people here, when they search though Naver, for instance, will be using Korean characters rather than English. The Hangeul domain names actually enhance the search engine ranking,” Chung said.
He added that people in Asia will come to appreciate the value of domain names. “Domain names are still in English and for most people it’s a code. It’s not of their native language. With Hangeul domains, people will value domain names much more than before,” he said.
To get a Hangeul dot Asia domain, one should contact registrars, agencies to apply for and register domains. Widely known registrars in the country include Netpia and Gabia.
Dot Asia has two separate periods set to accept domain applications. The Sunrise Period, which starts on May 11 until July 20, is a priority period for trademark owners and businesses. Then there will be the Land Rush Period that is open to everyone. If there are two or more applications for one domain name, there will be auctions. If only one person applies for a certain domain and has no competitor, the registration fee costs less than $50.