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Google TV makes its way to Korea

Korea's LG Uplus partners with Google TV to bring local users live TV and 50,000 on demand titles -- and their new spokesman is Gangnam Style's Psy.

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
Dara Kerr
Gangnam Style's Psy is the new spokesman for Google TV and LG Uplus in Korea. Google TV

Google TV is expanding its reach and moving into Korea. The local provider, LG Uplus, is now offering an integrated Google TV set-top box with its television subscription service.

"If you've ever considered moving to Korea to enjoy its kimchi and K-pop -- starting today we have another reason for you," Google wrote in a blog post. "New and existing LG Uplus subscribers can get the u+tv G starting today, bringing live TV and 50,000 on demand titles, now integrated with Google TV apps like Search, YouTube, Google Play and Chrome."

This partnership makes Korea the tenth country worldwide to offer Google's home entertainment platform. And to kick off its promotional campaign, the Gangnam Style YouTube star Psy will be the new spokesman in an LG Uplus advertising campaign.

Google has been amping up its media offerings over the past year. Last week, it connected Google TV to its Google Play store, letting users buy Play store movies and television shows directly inside Google TV. And any purchases made on another device -- like a Nexus 7 tablet or an Android smartphone -- will now automatically show up as purchases on Google TV.