Google’s Asus-manufactured Nexus 7 tablet was somewhat of a phenomenon when it was first unveiled in late June, but its initial coverage was unfortunately rather limited.

The search giant may seek to remedy this by releasing its tablet in a number of other markets. This time, the focus seems to be on Asia, and the countries of Singapore and South Korea are the device’s latest destinations.

Asus disclosed that the 16GB Nexus 7 would be available in Singapore starting last weekend for S$399, which is about US$324.7. This is substantially more expensive than the Nexus 7’s asking price in the United States, which starts at US$199 for the entry-level 8GB model and goes up to US$249 for the 16GB version.

Buyers in South Korea could be looking at a lighter hit on their bank accounts if they buy the Nexus 7. Pre-orders for the tablet started late last week, for a more reasonable 299,000 won, or about $267.37. This is still marginally more expensive, but still within reason. The Nexus 7 will arrive in South Korea in the middle of this month through Himart and Lotte Mart.

Asus earlier launched the Nexus 7 in Malaysia for 999 ringgit (US$326) and Japan (19,800 yen or $250), and hinted that the device would be available in India sometime next month.

However, the Nexus 7 could face a difficult battle in Asian markets, due to the lack of region-specific apps and services, lack of cellular connectivity and its higher price (at least in Southeast Asia).