Korea aims to be one of world's top three game powerhouses With GStar2005 (Game Show & Trade, All-Round2005) to be held over Nov. 10~13 at KINTEX, Goyang Gyeonggi province, as an impetus, Korea is poised to become one of the three game powerhouses in the world. The culture industry in Korea is already taking root as a key industry of the future to lead the nation, centering on the United States, Japan, Europe, etc. In the case of the U.S. screen industry priority is given to movies playing such a role. In the case of Japan and Europe as well, the animation industry and core technology as well as abundant culture resources to lay a foundation for their culture industry are playing such a role. To erase concerns as to what are industries should drive forward our country's culture industry and what are the most competitive industries of Korea in the overseas market, the necessity to nurture the game industry is self-evident. Recognizing the importance of the mission to realize this, the president of the Korea Game Development & Promotion Institute (KGDI), Woo Jong-sik, who is very busy with preparations for the success of GStar2005, pointed out: "This GStar 2005 Global Game Publisher Invitation Export Business Talk Meeting is prepared to provide domestic companies with new sales channels and opportunities to secure global partners." Notably, this GStar 2005 will play an export hub role and be the biggest gathering in Korea to date for people involved in the global games business, in which game buyers of potential markets of Central and South America and Eastern Europe, take part, including North America, Japan and China, Woo explained. Greater synergy effects Explaining the special features of GStar 2005, the president expected first of all that its synergy effects would be bigger, as the exhibition is held at the same time with the International Game Conference 2005. Moreover, as KIPA gives support to this export business talk meeting, held jointly by KGDI and KOTRA till last year, there will be great results - either both in terms of holding bigger events or in terms of qualitative improvement, he expected. To become on a par with the E3 Game Exhibition in the United States and Germany's Game Convention (GC), worldwide game exhibitions, the B2B pavilion is operated separately in this GStar 2005. In particular, 50 percent of the exhibition hall is composed of online gaming, since Korea is strong in online games globally. With regard to export support, the president stressed that this GStar 2005 will be reborn as an exhibition to support game exports, adding that this exhibition will be of great help for opening overseas markets for domestic game publishers. The reason for this is because three institutions have finally selected influential on-the-spot game publishers to be able to maximize on-the-spot inroads as well as the circulation benefits of Koreanmanufactured games. Woo disclosed that KGDI is devoting a whole raft of efforts to nurture the Korean game industry to become one of the three game powerhouses in the world by 2010. To this end, KGDI is promoting six fields' projects proactively such as boosting game culture awareness, as well as e-sports activation, game content creation capacity strengthening, international exchange collaboration as well as export activation, game industry support infra strengthening, core special human power nurturing, and law/system improvement. As of 2004, the domestic game market had increased by about 10 percent in comparison with the preceding year, reaching 4.3 trillion won. Korea game industry's export scale also is continuing its enduring pace of growth, showing an increase of 124 percent by comparison with the preceding year's US$ 380 million. Woo pointed out that recently the game industry's trend has accelerated the fusion among other game genres and is breaking down barriers of genres. He committed himself to be liberal with the Institute's support for domestic game publishers to be able to catch up with such trends of the times. Better cooperation needed in game field among APEC members economies In order for the domestic game industry to take root as a national strategic industry both nominally and virtually, Woo advises that Korean game market can develop by being specialized and differentiated like advanced countries, pointing out that the role of smaller game companies is above all important in our country too like the importance of midfielder in soccer game. The president further notes that support and collaboration of national dimension are necessary in order for the domestic game industry to take root as a national strategic industry, contending that law and policy have to be improved to a direction with which the game industry can develop. In consideration of the importance of national support, KGDI will proactively support technologies that game publishers have difficulty in developing or needing funds, Woo said, referring to the necessity too that the Institute should support fragile platforms such as Arcade Games and Video Games. In regard to the development of e- Sports as well, the president explains that China is more advanced than Korea in e- Sports although China is a latecomer in regard to game development compared with Korea. In regard to opponents of games who see them as the principal reason for deviation among young boys and girls, Woo advised that companies, the government, associated institutions as well as organizations should make redoubled efforts to change such distorted social perceptions. He concluded his interview by proposing: "Let's cooperate better in the game field too among APEC members countries" on the occasion of the Busan APEC Summit 2005, saying that Asia is a growth engine of the global economy. APEC member countries should thus advance in a direction to harmonize diversity and to an order of integration and collaboration in order for APEC member nations to advance to a higher level.