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Well, I can tell you this is a very competitive price against other e-readers I've seen in the country (yes, I'm in the ROK)... and the built-in lighting is a bonus. Other e-readers look like (and probably are) older-gen models, and thus (I guess) linux-based.
Outside e-readers can't be popular here. The Korean language is double-byte and typically ANSI-encoded. I never did figure out how to get Hangul epubs working on my Sony unless they had embedded fonts. So, the only competition is iRiver and some other second-tier brands...
Some high schools have been pushing e-readers instead of a bag full of books... but I haven't seen that take full-force yet. I suspect once students realize the power of these things, they'll become very popular... especially thanks to built-in translation dictionaries - which by the way, is why I suspect Android will be the choice in Eastern Asia for e-readers. Multilingual dictionaries (even if paid apps) would be a godsend for the average university student.
The apps will also likely lean towards online webcomics, which are insanely popular here. Of course, I am assuming still that this reader will allow apps. If not, then why bother?
But, like most Korean electronics, it could flounder or sell millions. Jeez, Windows XP is still the most common OS in this country, IE is still the browser of choice, and people still play Starcraft 1 and Counter-strike. Meanwhile, we all know Samsung owns the smartphone market and I rarely see any old SD TV's anymore... so...
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