KT Corp. said Tuesday that smartphone users now make up more than 50 percent of its mobile clientele.

According to the nation’s second-largest network operator, 8.18 million of its 16.32 million customers were smartphones users as of Monday.

The figure for smartphone users has surged over the past two years after it started with 2 percent of the company’s total subscribers in December 2009, KT said.

The rapid infiltration of smartphones in Korea was largely driven by the arrival of Apple’s iPhone in 2009. KT was the first to introduce the hit phone to local consumers.

The company also cited other decisive factors ranging from fee cuts in wireless data use and widespread Wi-Fi coverage to the recent adoption of a fourth-generation Long Term Evolution network.

KT, which started the faster LTE service in January, about six months later than its rivals SK Telecom and LG Uplus, aims to complete a nationwide network by April.

“Surpassing the 50 percent mark just in two years indicates the competitiveness of smartphones running on KT’s network service. We will show our strength in the LTE market through smart leadership, total network coverage and LTE WARP service,” said Pyo Hyun-myung, president of the mobile business unit at KT.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)