As domestic antivirus begin to be offered free, foreign-made programs, which stick to be charged, are faced with a crisis.

As even Ahn Lab announced on 15 Jan that it would distribute its antivirus for free through Naver in realtime, domestic programs with fee will do a fade.

New TechWave and Vision Power already have provided free antivirus through Yahoo Korea, and Hauri is also on the verge of negotiation with Naver to offer free programs. The advent of ALYac, which already gains one and half million users, cannot be excluded from the current tendency as well.

To foreign companies, it becomes an absurd thing that they have never experienced in any other countries in the world. In the US, AOL once provided free antivirus , but it was not so much as the Korean case that threatens the existence of paid antivirus itself. Foreign companies have had tough games with Korean market situation oriented to domestic-made programs and, to make matters worse with the free antivirus program services, they are about to cry.

According a person working for a foreign company, "we already have difficulties of higher prices in doing business. We have held several strategy meetings about the free antivirus program service, but there seems to be no excellent ways to cope with this trend of free antivirus program service."

Symantec and MS ¡¸don't have free services¡¹
Even so, they hardly seek revenues from portals and advertising by providing free antivirus as domestic antivirus providers do. If they can, they need discussion with their HQs. However, it would be not possible for leading global companies, which have high prides, to allow the free antivirus program service. The case of Kaspersky that concluded an agreement with Naver in full support from the HQ is exceptional.

Park Soo-Hoon, the head of Korea Trandmicro, said, "the HQ would not allow any negotiation with portals. The company once considered to offer free items by OEM with Lenovo Notebook, but it has no plan to come into effect."

Symantec Korea has no plan to provide the free antivirus program service, either. It offers free antivirus to Goggle, but realtime surveillance. According to Cho Ae-Ri, director of Symantec Korea, "although we have to ask to the HQ, there would be no possibility of full-scale free antivirus program service."

Microsoft Korea, which is preparing to release 'Live OneCare', a antivirus program for individuals, is in the similar position with other foreign companies. A MS-related person said, "there is no case that OneCare is offered free. It should be a program with fee, if it is introduced into Korea."

Hard to increase shares in the market for companies
One solution for foreign companies is to compete in the market for companies in which a price can be fixed. But, it is also tough.

In the present, the domestic market for companies is saturated over 90%. Moreover, it is difficult to increase market shares on a sudden due to its high rate of renewal. What is worse, domestic companies, obliged to provide free antivirus , will do last-ditch efforts to capture the market. Ahn Lab and New TechWave already made their positions that give an impetus to increase customers in the market for companies.

According to Mr. Park of Trandmicro, "under the situation that the market for individuals disappears, the market for companies is getting importance for both charge and non-charge camps. There will be much more intensive competitions for price and service than ever."

One way or another, to foreign-made antivirus , the prospect for Korea market in 2008 would be more discouraging than ever.