Four in 10 Korean households are expected to have a tablet PC this year, according to Strategy Analytics.

The global research firm said that Korea’s tablet penetration rate per household is forecast to stand at around 44 percent in 2014.

The rate lags behind other advanced high-tech economies. North America’s penetration rate is forecast to reach 54.1 percent this year, and 39.8 percent in the eurozone.

The tablet PC penetration rate in Hong Kong was the world’s highest at over 250 percent, followed by Singapore’s 191 percent.

Even though Korea has the highest smartphone use with a penetration rate of over 70 percent, Asia’s fourth-largest economy continues to have one of the lowest numbers of tablet PC users.

This is because Korean consumers mostly opt to use phablets ― a device converging the technology of a smartphone and tablet with a display size of more than 5 inches ― rather than tablet PCs.

The global research company said that Korea’s rate is expected to increase to about 66 percent in four years, as with other regions such as North America, which would see its tablet PC penetration rate to surpass 70 percent.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)