Exploring Digital Technology

SBS-hosted forum features prominent figures in media industry to ponder future of digital tech

Seoul Digital Forum 2008, the annual global conference dedicated to digital technology, took place May 6-8 at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill in Seoul. SBS Holding Co. hosted the annual event, has it has done since the initial forum in 2004 this time with the major theme of "Imagination-Explore T.I.M.E., Space and Beyond."The three-day event featured a number of prominent speakers from around the world including Chairman Bill Gates, as a special speaker, Chairman Summer Redstone of Viacom and CBS Corp., Capt. Eugene Cernan, a U.S. astronaut who was the last man on the moon, Tim Draper, a leading Silicon Valley venture capitalist, 'father of video games'Nolan Bushnell, the founder of ATARI, who shared their visions and ideas that will enable sustainable evolution and inspire epochal changes in "our"every day lives, according to SBS, the fonder of the international forum.
President Ha Kumloul of SBS and chief executive secretary of Seoul Digital Forum,
said the annual event is a major international conference designed to explore the progress of the digital revolution that is shaping our future. He said the forum as the main theme suggests has touched on the power of imagination that inspires revolutionary changes in the fields of technology, information, media, entertainment and space.
The global forum featured a high-end, international conference, established with the aim to enhance knowledge and understanding on a broad spectrum of issues related to the digital ear.
The goals of the SDF is to gather the most influential minds from industry, government and academia, and explore the current progress of the digital revolution and seek ways to optimize new possibilities for the future; to enhance knowledge and understanding of political, economic, social and cultural implications arising from the rapid development of digital technologies, and to strengthen inter-regional cooperation through joint effort in discovering opportunities and confronting challenges.
The inaugural event in 2004 has a main theme of "value reshuffling digital convergence: In search of new opportunities."The second forum in 2005 dealt with the main theme of "charting a new digital society and in 2006, the main theme was "being intelligent: the next digital evolution."In 2007, forum's main theme was "media big bang! Impact on business and society."Chairman Summer Redstone, on his keynote speech ,said the three core value of the media industry are 'content' 'globalization'and 'fair regulations.'The chairman of Viacom, the powerful media group, which includes CBS television, and Paramount Pictures, said content is the most important element in the past, present and future and due to the development of digital technology, the distribution of content has become easier and faster and its value rising. He also called on the government to strengthen protection of copyrights for initial creators in this digital age.
He said the protection of copyrights for authors, musicians, film directors and artists on their creations would inspire them to be more productive and invigorate the creation of content.
The powerful media group chairman said the national borders for the content market are disappearing. The media industry spread around the world continues to grow and its future depends on the international market's vitality.
He also criticized that government policies on fair regulations cannot catch up with consumer demand in many cases hampering media content development. In the case of Korea, the government should ease the limit on foreign stake in cable TV channels so that a variety of foreign content can be used on cable TV channels. nw

Chairman Bill Gates of Microsoft makes a speech at the Digital Technology Forum on May 6.

President Ha Kumloul of SBS and chief executive secretary of Seoul Digital Forum speaks at the opening ceremony of the forum held in Seoul May 6-8.