Yim Chu-hwan, President of ETRI

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has played a core role in the national goal of boosting gross domestic product (GDP) to the $20,000 level through the creation of new technology in the IT industry.

In the following interview with Yim Chu-hwan, president of ETRI, Korea IT Times looks at what must be done to actively foster the domestic knowledge/information industry.

Q: Would you comment on the status of ETRI as an originator of advanced information, communication, and electronics technology and main tasks on which you are placing emphasis since you took office

A: ETRI, which was established in 1976, is the nation's biggest state-run electronics and information communication research institution. It is a grouping of top-class minds consisting of about 2,000 regular workers, 90 percent of who hold postgraduate degrees. Specifically, master's degree holders comprise 30 percent of the total, and doctorate holders, 60 percent.

Based on this talented assembly of personnel, ETRI has so far obtained a total of 15,000 patent rights, including about 3,000 of which have been registered in overseas jurisdictions.

ETRI has so far transferred about 1,280 technologies to 2,600 enterprises and generated 360 billion won in royalties, so contributing to its reputation as a powerhouse of new technology.

Since competition in R&D is becoming fiercer than ever before to shape the next-generation IT industry, the key to creating new technology is the maximization of the knowledge asset value and the most important thing in this regard are human assets.

As a result, people management to maximize the potential of valuable human asset is the most important task of ETRI. To that end, ETRI plans to focus its energy on enhancing the capability and value of its human resources by attracting the most brilliant and implementing educational training.

Along with people management, ETRI places its focus on maximizing the value of knowledge assets. Taking the example of carbon (C), the same element could become the hardest and most expensive diamond in the world or become a cheap and easily breakable piece of charcoal according to the kind of structure it has.

ETRI will pursue research through participation and autonomously, enhance the potential for synergy by accelerating knowledge sharing, and heightening the technical and economical availability of knowledge assets by networking with outside professional groups.

Q: What's the secret of the ETRI's technical support for fostering healthy venture companies

A: Owing to the overall economic slump, middle-range venture companies are facing difficulties, including a shortage of funds. On the other hand, floating funds, which cannot find suitable place for investment, amount to more than 380 trillion won. It is deplorable situation.

This problem could be settled only when capital and technology come together in the recognition that most stable profit-generating business is R&D, and that the competitiveness and profits of advanced enterprises could be raised by decisive investment.

I think the role to stimulate the market should be made by the public sector. The cyclical structure that produces a successful venture environment leading to decisive investments and high profits should be revived again through policy assistance.

Typical examples of this kind of assistance are joint use of expensive research equipment, offering of space and facilities to help incubate ventures, and projects to extend technical assistance to small and medium-sized companies now being implemented by ETRI.

Q: What is the current status of development of mobile Internet technology and what do you consider to be its future road map

A: Just to back up a little, ETRI began a study in from 2003 to offer a high-speed Internet service by using the 2.3GHz band allotted for the existing wireless local loop (WLL).

A high-speed mobile Internet system (HPi) developed by ETRI has the maximum cell radius of 60 kilometers, and offers a maximum transmission speed 30Mbps, a capability unmatched in the world.

In the future, ETRI will develop air high-speed mobile Internet system, which can offer service continuously through linkage with the IMT-2000 system or the existing wireless LAN. It will be a prototypical model of a fourth-generation mobile communication system.

Q: There is a belief abroad that without fostering of the knowledge information industry, including digital contents, it will be impossible for Korea to achieve a GDP per capita level. What is your response

A: The core target of the IT839 strategy promotes by the Ministry of Information and Communication is the realization of a national per capita GDP of $20,000 through the knowledge information industry.

The R&D sector, the core of the strategy, is the "driving force for new IT growth," the focus of ETRI's endeavors and management activities.

Early this year, ETRI launched a new project to promote new IT growth in earnest to secure relevant original and basic technologies. At the same time, ETRI has played a pivotal role as a pan-national technology creation system, which covers all technical fields from R&D to industrialization.

As the recognized cradle of national technology, ETRI aims to become the driving force behind the realization of the $20,000 per capita GDP goal.

Q: What steps would you take to prevent recurrence of the breach of discipline that resulted in the information fund scandal

A: As for the prosecution's recent investigation into ETRI, I cannot help but express my admiration as the head in charge of a research institute.

To prevent such scandals from occurring again, ETRI has implemented various measures to promote transparent research and management.

First, we will reconsider all business disposal procedures concerning joint study, service study, and consignment study and map out and implement comprehensive measures to improve the monitoring system for such pursuits. ETRI will also enhance the propriety and transparency of the execution of its budget by improving its purchasing system.

Secondly, in keeping with the current ethical principles for ETRI officials, we will map out and implement business principles on the subject of disposal to prevent improper business dealings. We will also include detailed prohibitory rules in the ethical principles.

Along with this, we will strengthen educational programs for ETRI officials to establish occupational ethics and basic service attitude necessary for workers at a state-invested institution.

Thirdly, we will reform the checking system for budget execution and bolster the function of the audit department.

Q: In particular, competition for technology standards is fierce in the IT sector, which requires development of new technologies. Would you comment on the importance of international standards and a strategy to preoccupy it

A: While focusing on the top nine subject areas that will form the driving force behind the new growth of IT, ETRI is simultaneously advancing the development of original technologies and activities for purposes of international standardization.

It is because international standards are set in such a way as to be favorable to technologies Korea is now considering developing, the pursuit of original domestic technologies could bed a fast track to taking on the global market directly. From such a viewpoint, international standardization means the globalization of technology and products.

Long ago, advanced countries took it upon themselves to protect and promote their own positions during the process of international standardization. Such moves now manifest themselves as stiff competition to those who would follow them.

Concluding a strategic alliance with foreign companies with the necessary international clout to influence standardization is therefore a matter of the utmost importance.

Globally, since a number of countries and enterprises possessing different competing technologies are vying for leadership of the next-generation IT industry, it is accordingly difficult for a specific country or enterprise to exercise unilateral influence.

So, if Korea maintains cooperative relationships with enterprises or foreign organizations of global influence, then I am confident that we can obtain strong support in the looming competition over international standardization.