Duolingo, the language education app selected by Apple as iPhone App of the Year 2013 and by Google as Best of the Best 2013, has just announced the launch of its mobile apps in Korea.

The Duolingo iOS app is already the 5th most popular app on iTunes in Korea. Worldwide, Duolingo is the #1 education app on both iOS and Android devices.

With over 30 million users worldwide, Duolingo uses sophisticated technologies and science-based data to teach languages more effectively than American university language courses. In a recent independent study, professors from the City University of New York found that when using Duolingo for 34 hours, students learn the equivalent of one university semester of language instruction. Link to study

Duolingo was created by Luis von Ahn, the renowned computer scientist who pioneered the field of human computation, sold two companies to Google in his 20s, gave a very popular TED talk (watched by over 1 million people), and received the MacArthur Genius grant. Luis von Ahn was in Korea earlier this year, where he gave the opening lecture at the Seoul Digital Forum (SDF).

Gaming elements transform the studying experience into a fun pastime. Mobile gamers worldwide are now enjoying entertainment while making good use of their time. Users compete against other players, earn virtual points and pass levels as they gain knowledge.

Duolingo is and will always be 100% free to its users. The platform has helped users worldwide get better jobs or promotions, pass college entrance exams in English, or even communicate with family members from other countries. The platform can hugely benefit the population of Korea, where approximately US $10 billion dollars are spent in Korea on English education every year.

The company has received investment from some of the most prestigious investors in the United States, including actor Ashton Kutcher, and best-selling author and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss.

Duolingo is now available in Korean for Android, iOS devices, and on the Web.