The Korean government has revealed the country`s ICT sector has emerged as the driving force of the economy, contributing to 38% of total exports and 15% of the gross domestic product.
Deputy information and communication minister Noh Young-Kyu told international journalists yesterday that the introduction of competition in the telecoms sector - in the fields of basic telephony (1990s), mobile phones (1996) and high-speed Internet (2000) - was key to developing an environment of economic growth.
The private sector has made significant investments in CDMA and broadband technologies, in particular. Ten million Koreans have broadband access, he noted.
"Our dense residential environment has facilitated the rapid spread of high-speed Internet," he added, saying that another essential aspect is the general enthusiasm among Korean people for higher education and for technological advancement.
A strongly-focused ICT strategy, shared by the public and private sectors, is also highly important, said Young-Kyu.
Finally, Korea`s willingness to invite international IT conglomerates to establish "test-beds" in the country has been vital to its technology revolution, he said, adding that Siemens, HP, AMD, Intel, IBM and SAP all have large research and development centres in Korea.
WiMax for developing nations
Information and communication minister Rho Jun-Hyong commented on WiBro, a Korean mobile WiMax technology entering the commercial roll-out phase.
"The reason Internet usage in developing countries is so low is due to a lack of fixed-line infrastructure - but WiBro carries the last mile wirelessly, not with fixed-lines, so we believe it actually can bridge the 'digital divide`," he said.
Jun-Hyong cited the investment made by government and businesses in human resources as possibly Korea`s most fundamental success-factor: "80% of school-leavers go to university - the ability to study and learn is essential in this rapidly-changing world, this information society."
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