SEOUL (AP): Video-sharing Web site YouTube said Wednesday it has launched a version for Korean speakers to make it easier for them to create and share videos.

``Now Korean users have a site all their own,'' YouTube international manager Sakina Arsiwala said at a press conference in Seoul.

YouTube, owned by popular search engine Google Inc., has emerged as a social phenomenon, with hundreds of millions of videos watched daily throughout the world.

``Korea has some of the best IT infrastructure in the world and broadband penetration is so high, so we feel that YouTube is a service that would be able to address some of the video needs of this market,'' Arsiwala said.

YouTube said in a release that its Korean site is its 19th localized version. Other countries with localized sites include France, Australia and Japan, YouTube said.

``With YouTube's launch in Korea today we'll also be able to provide Korean users with a platform to showcase Korea's unique culture and lifestyle to the world,'' Steve Chen, YouTube's co-founder and chief technology officer, said in a video appearance.