South Koreans boycott Kakao Talk social media service after president's rumour complaints

Thousands of people in South Korea are boycotting Kakao Talk, the country's leading social media service, after the president announced a crackdown on rumours about her circulating in cyberspace.

Prosecutors announced the crackdown two weeks ago after President Park Geun-hye complained about insults directed at her and said false rumours "divided the society."

Users of Kakao Talk, which is popular among 35 million of South Korea's 50 million people, were not impressed and it prompted a surge of interest in a previously little known German competitor, Telegram.

On Friday, Telegram was the most downloaded free app in Apple's App Store in South Korea. On Google store, Telegram was the second most downloaded free communications app, behind only Kakao Talk.

South Korean users left reviews on Telegram saying they left Kakao Talk to seek "asylum".

Park ordered the justice ministry to investigate unfounded stories in cyberspace last month. She complained about insults about her and said online rumours have "gone too far and divided the society," according to the presidential office's website.