As Korea's gaming industry grew at home and began to attract attention from abroad, Gyeonggi Province took notice. The province already has an attractive mix of features that make it an ideal place for gamers. It is conveniently located close to Seoul and features a large and dynamic population. Its business culture is diverse, featuring IT, CT, NT and BT companies within an excellent residential atmosphere. The area is also home to universities which provide educated and ambitious human resources. It is no surprise that Gyeonggi Province is considered Korea's perfect place for the gaming industry. The province is pushing ahead with plans to establish infrastructure, to secure R&D foundation and to cultivate human resources. In order to bring its investment and business plans to life, Gyeonggi is reflecting the central government's policies designed to foster cultural industries, while letting its regional particularity shine through.

Out of the more than 260 companies taking part in Gyeonggi Province's cultural industries, 28% of them are video game producers. They are a diverse group, as 25 are arcade game companies, 5 are PC game companies, 21 are online game companies and 16 are mobile game companies. Game-related schools, such as Kyungwon University, Chungkang College of Cultural Industries and Korea Animation High School are educating the industry's next generation of leaders. GStar, the nation's largest game festival, will be held at Korea International Exhibition Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. This year, the international event will be organized by Korea Game Industry Agency and Gyeonggi Digital Contents Agency under the guidance of the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism and the government of Gyeonggi Province. The province has taken a keen interest in the game industry and has conducted research on the development of GStar and sought ways to improve the popular event.

The province has taken part in preparation for the event to make it a productive and successful venture. We hope GStar will be both entertaining and informative for visitors. GStar 2008 will provide assorted services and facilities for participating businesses and visitors. GStar 2008 will prepare export consultation sessions, an academy zone in which domestic and foreign colleges will participate and a job fair for people looking for work in the gaming industry. Gyeonggi International Travel Mart, one of the biggest events of the province, will kick off during the same period and visitors will be able to enjoy both events with one ticket. They will be provided with an impressive and enjoyable experience. This year, GStar is winning favorable reviews from Korea's gaming elite, including NC Soft, NHN, Nexon, Neowiz Games, CJ, Internet, JC Entertainment and T3 Entertainment, all of whom will be participating in the event. In addition, SK Telecom and COM2US will bring a component for mobile games to GStar. Various esports events will please visitors who come to enjoy games. The slogan of GStar 2008 is ``Log in your dream.'' In the past, only gaming fanatics participated in the event, but this year, we tried to provide a stage for everyone by improving the festival's contents. All visitors regardless of their gender or age will be able to enjoy what the festival has to offer. I hope that all visitors will enjoy their time at GStar 2008. Everyone involved has worked to make the festival something truly special.