Meta's text-based social platform Threads has surpassed 500 million monthly active users worldwide. With usage rising notably in South Korea, the company is stepping up efforts to broaden the platform's reach by adding new communication features tailored to local users.

Meta said on June 17 that Threads' global monthly active users had exceeded 500 million. In South Korea, total time spent in the application has increased by more than 80 percent from a year earlier, sharply expanding user activity on the platform. In line with that trend, Meta is formally rolling out a "community" feature in the country that lets users with shared interests gather by topic and hold conversations.

Threads, launched in 2023, has grown into a public space where active conversations take place around interests including sports, music, fandoms and lifestyle. The newly introduced communities are dedicated spaces that group those interest-based conversations more intuitively.

In South Korea, various communities reflecting local users' interests in detail will be offered, including fashion, coffee, cafes, home-cooked meals, exhibitions, fitness, music recommendations, personal finance and baseball. Users who join a community can quickly move to related conversations through a menu at the top left of the application.

After joining, users are shown as members on the page, and a related topic tag is automatically added to their profile to help connect users with common interests more easily. Each community also applies member-only custom "like" emoticons to give it an intuitive identity.

Threads is also expanding as a space where creators and artists communicate with fandoms in real time. Recently, the official account of global artist BTS joined, starting communication with fans worldwide and establishing itself as a key platform linking artists and fandoms.

Last month, it also introduced a music attachment feature to further enrich music-based conversations. It supports users in sharing part of a favorite song in a post or reply, helping them express themselves through music and expand conversations.

Meta said it plans to continue improving Threads based on user feedback and to create a forum for conversation where people can connect more easily and meaningfully around cultures and communities they are interested in.