Bridging the gap between "the developed" and "the developing" in the IT sector Along with the world's first display of WiBro (wireless broadband) services during the APEC 2005 to be held in Busan on November 12-19, Korea plans to demonstrate its technological strengths in the mobile phone industry. At the same time, it will deliver a strong message to member economies of Korea's sincere desire to find ways for APEC member nations to cooperate better in the field of information and telecommunications. To achieve this goal, the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) has for some time presided over a raft of related issues, from the planning and coordination of an IT exhibition to the fulfillment of a "Better Society through the Digital World." Against this exciting backdrop, the Korea IT Times is pleased to carry the following message from Mr. Noh Youngkyu, director general of MIC Ubiquitous APEC 2005 TFT. 'Better Society through Digital World' The APEC 2005 in Busan is the largest global event scheduled to be held in Korea for the next decade. Mindful of the significance of this event, the MIC has made unrelenting efforts to ensure its success in close collaboration with other governmental bodies and private businesses. As a consequence, the ministry anticipates that Korea will not only demonstrate its competitive power in the IT sector but also create opportunities for closer cooperation among APEC member nations and make further advancements in the field of information and telecommunications. Under the slogan of "Leading the way in informatization and not repeating the past experience of lagging behind in industrialization," Korea has succeeded in transforming itself into an IT powerhouse over the past decade thanks to close cooperation among the government, private enterprise and the general public. Over the past 10 years, the IT industry in Korea has not grown merely for its own sake. By contrast, it has played the role of a driving force that has transformed various social dimensions, including politics, the economy and culture as well as people's minds and livelihood patterns. Politically, we are witnessing the Internet forming a platform for open discussions on various issues of social life while it also serves as a tool for various purposes, including the gathering of public opinion on government policies and the burgeoning of civic movement and election campaigns. Economically, the IT industry has spearheaded the nation's economic growth as information technologies have been introduced into traditional industries and transformed them into value-added industries thanks to productivity growth and creation of new industries. In terms of social and cultural aspects, Korea is heading toward a more open and diverse society due to the rejuvenation of horizontal two-way communications and lively exchange of information through such means as e-mails and cyber communities. As a result of such endeavors, Korea today stands well-positioned to see the burgeoning of its IT industry, ahead of any other nation in the world, boasting a strong network infrastructure with some 36 million mobile phone subscribers and 31 million high-speed Internet users. In addition, easiness in starting a blog and interconnectivity between different users of the Internet have formed a new Internet culture that is unique to Korea, allowing Internet users to have their own personal space on the web to share their views and experiences through blogs, as has been well exemplified in the case of a blog site called Cyworld. Fortunately, all such developments have been enough to grant Korea a recognition that it is a tailor-made test bed for IT products for their success in the global market. Likewise, the fact that Korea has turned out to be a global powerhouse in the IT field is a fait accompli. And yet, it is regrettable that the Korean brand, as a global engine for growth in the IT sector, has been publicized unilaterally from the standpoint of merely publicizing its strengths abroad. By contrast, we want to reveal all our activities sought after in support of making a 'Better Society through the Digital World' where the benefits of informatization can be passed on to the underprivileged with inadequate access to information, both at home and abroad. With this in mind, we wish to share our experience with other nations and find ways to better cooperate on related issues. Moreover, we hope that the government and business leaders taking part in the APEC 2005 can make the best use of this occasion to make headway toward achieving mutually beneficial economic growth. Pursuing the goal of shaping a "Better Society through the Digital World," the Korean government will continue striving to ensure that IT technologies can play a role as an effective intermediary that strengthens the bonds and cooperation among all the APEC member economies. At home, the ministry will strive to realize a "ubiquitous society," by continuously implementing the IT839 strategy. Under this strategy, new IT services will be introduced and promoted to encourage investment in network infrastructure, which will attract synergic effects, with cutting-edge devices, equipment, software and contents. Korea faces new challenges - such as the digitalization of traditional industries and the convergence of IT with bio and nano technologies - and telecommunications with broadcasting. And as ahead there lies the task of facilitating equal opportunities for both large and small businesses, we will strive to tackle such issues based on the achievements we have made so far in the IT sector.