IT to Lead National Reform
MIC Minister Rho to push wider use of IT among industries to build u-Korea
Minister of Information and Communication Rho Jun-hyong said this year's vision is "Hopeful Korea to Become One with Digitalization,"to make Korea continue to be a strong IT country in the world.
Minister Rho, in his New Year's speech at the reception for the IT community to welcome the New Year Jan. 16 at the KCCI conference room, said the ministry will make sure that IT will reshape the country this year and enhance the IT industry's competitive strength. Korea has already is an IT powerhouse in the world, boasting top infrastructure for both wire and wireless IT network and the most active country in the use of the Internet in the world.
He went on to add that the IT sector produced 247 trillion won worth of products last year including $113.4 billion in exports, taking up 16 percent of the country's GDP. The IT products shared one/third of total exports last year.
Korea was the first country to launch the WiBro, DMB, and HSDPA commercially, leading the world market for communication services.
MIC Minister Rho warned, however, that this year would be critical to whether Korea's edge as an IT powerhouse in the world could be sustained or not. The MIC will continue with its program to make IT to lead the national reform continuously in the areas of education, defense, logistics, labor and the economy and society, among others. The ministry will also lead the fusion of communication and broadcasting through the vitalization of the digital broadcasting and the introduction of IPTV to revise the broadcasting and communication sectors.
The ministry will also promote a wider use of RFID, u-City, u-Health, and others to create fusion between industries based on the IT base. It will also try to foster the IT parts and material and software industries to make the IT industry a high value-added one.
He said the MIC will push the IT project to build the base for U-Korea to have IT connect such key areas as education, national territory, welfare, labor, national defense, and economy-five key areas of the country.
The OECD IT ministerial conference scheduled for this year in Seoul will be a significant get-together in determining the future of the Internet. The ministry will make a solid preparation for the meeting so that Korea would continue to lead the IT industry in the world. MOCT will reexamine its IT strategies in light of web 2.0 and UCC, among others, new technologies and the environment surrounding the Internet and draw up new strategies for approaches.
MIC will also focus on tighter regulations on the protection of individual information, the prevention of spam and other intrusion damages, the addiction for the Internet, and cyber violence, among others, so that they can be dealt with laws and regulations. The ministry will also pay attention to make sure that no one is deprived of information.
The ministry will also revise the regulations to cope with the fusion of broadcasting and communication, which will be possible to expect to infuse vitality into the business community and to help make decisions fast by business firms. The ministry will also provide help to communication service firms to go abroad for businesses as the ministry will strive to make the IT industry strong globally by nurturing parts and material and software industries to enhance their competitive power and find new growth engines.
The ministry will promote strategic items including IT839 products to solidify IT exporters competitive edge and thus making Korea to have an international image as a strong IT country. A special support will go to innovative SMEs to make them small but strong IT firms in the world. nw
(above) Minister of Information and Communication Rho Jun-hyung, 5th L, and other dignitaries.
(left) Dignitaries present at the new year's reception for the information and communication community including heads of leading telecommunication companies such as SK Telecom, LG Telecom and KTF.
(left) Minister of Information and Communication Rho Jun-hyong and KT CEO Nam Joong-soo
|