Four New Guiding Principles

Lee Myung-bak

President of the Republic of Korea

I speak to you at the start of the New Year because I want to give the nation an overview of how the government will manage the country to respond to the current economic crisis as quickly as possible. It was decided that the government would spend this year's budget earlier, as soon as possible, compared to previous years.

Now it is up to the National Assembly to give their support. If they do what they should, we will be able to revitalize the economy an create more jobs, which is the hope of all Korean people.

How fast we will be able to overcome this crisis hinges partly on our own actions but more importantly on what actions other countries in the world will pursue. All countries must work together through close international coordination to provide sufficient currency liquidity, drastically expand their fiscal spending and decisively implement restructuring, thereby healthy economic activity in the market. Only then, according to some predictions, will the economy gradually begin to turn around from the latter half of this year.

From this prospective, I would like to present four major guiding principles in running state affairs in 2009. First, the government will go all-out to ride out the economic crisis by setting the administration into an emergency economy rescue mode. Second, the government will implement caring and well-planned programs to take care of ordinary citizens. Third, the government will continue to push forward with ongoing reforms to make Korea an advanced, leading country. And fourth, the government will step up efforts to prepare for the future and green growth.

The government will continue to carry out an administrative overhaul befitting such arduous efforts. The economic situation will be checked on a daily basis. More than anything else, money should be funneled into the markets. The government has already infused more than 20 trillion won into banks, and it will continue to take all available measures to facilitate borrowing from the bank by businesses and households. The Korea Credit Guarantee Fund and the Kibo Technology Fund will raise their capital to expand support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In particular, a new system will be put in place promptly to exempt officials from taking responsibility for problems that might arise in the process of providing active support to SMEs.

Nothing is more important than the creation of jobs in steering the economy in the New Year. At the end of last year I proposed that the government takes the lead in coming up with opportunities for young people to work considering the great shortage of jobs for them. New occupational training programs will be introduced this year. They include the global youth leaders program that will give young Koreans various international experiences and the Work, English Study and Travel Program (WEST) that will give them chances to work and learn in the United States for 18 months. Notably, these programs are carefully designed to benefit people from low-income families. I suggest young people go into the website at www.worknet.go.kr now. You will be able to find detailed information about diverse government- sponsored programs there.

Stable Life Will Return

Han Seung-soo

Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea

The New Year of 2009 has dawned, and in the morning of the Year of the Ox I sincerely wish that all families of the nation will be filled with health and happiness. Despite the current hardships and difficulties, it is my ardent hope that 2009 will become the Year of Hope for the Korean people by cleaving a new path for a vigorous leap forward.

The situation presently surrounding Korea at home and abroad is very hard and serious. The financial crisis that first started in advanced countries last year is now spreading to affect the object economy, placing the majority of the countries of the world in a serious economic crisis. However, it is said that crisis also means opportunity. What the Korean people do from now on will spell the future of Korea. It is, therefore, very crucial for us to promptly cope with the critical moment with wisdom and concerted efforts.

It is for this reason that President Lee Myung-bak stressed on occasions that core national policies for 2009 should be fixed by the end of 2008 and they should be immediately implemented from the outset of 2009.

To cope with the economic rundown resulting from the stagnation of the world economy, the government will do its utmost to expend 60% of national funds for public finance in the first half of 2009 to create job opportunities and also to stimulate the object economy. To stabilize the money market, the role of banking institutions will be strengthened and also relief measures will be worked out for those people neglected by banking institutions.

In particular, all-out efforts will be made to secure the stable life of the working classes.

Over-all expansion of measures to boost the economy and social safety net will be made, that is, enlarged social overhead capital in provincial areas, financial assistance to small and medium businesses as well as farming and fishing communities, welfare funds for low-income people and relief measures for the unemployed.

Also, the low carbon and green growth movement will be actively fostered as a new growth engine to open the window of Korea's bright future in parallel with utmost efforts to usher in a society of low consumption of energy and environment- friendly through the enlarged development of overseas resources.

In this manner, the government will exert all its efforts to surmount the economic crisis and secure the stabilization of people's livelihood so that the people can engage in their daily lives with new hope. In short, the government will do all in its power so that Korea will become the first country to pull through the global economic crisis and set the nation on the right track for vigorous economic growth.

Incidentally, the New Year marks the historic 90th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement and the establishment of the temporary overseas government of the Republic of Korea. Our patriots of old never lost their hopes during those dark and gloomy days when Korea was placed under Japanese rule.

Likewise, if we can uphold such a lofty spirit of our patriots, we can certainly overcome the current economic crisis and turn it into an opportunity for a new leap forward. Let's march ahead as one with wisdom and strength, armed with courage and self confidence that we can make it. I am confident that we can overcome the economic crisis and I am earnestly calling for positive participation with and cooperation of the people with the grim government efforts.

Fostering Four New Growth Engines

Lee Yoon-ho

Minister of Knowledge Economy

I wish for all businesspeople and workers to have a more energetic and plentiful year. Also, I want to convey warm greetings to all the workers making efforts in the field of industry, the laboratory, and the forefront of exports and resource development in this time.

Last year, we had hard time with many disheartening foreign and domestic factors such as candlelight demonstrations, a sudden rise of oil prices, and a global financial crisis. In these situations, the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy (MKE) has done what we could to lay down the foundation for creating a powerful knowledge and innovation- oriented industrial state actively confronting an economic crisis.

Before everything else, we have tried a lot to make a business-friendly environment communicating with different fields. To be specific, we improved investment conditions by managing a corporate assistance center, simplifying the process of making a new business, and rationalizing regulation of the Metropolitan area.

Last year, we achieved very meaningful outcomes in exports and foreign investments in the world of a slowing economy. We accomplished $400 billion in exports, the 11th in the world. In addition, foreign direct investment rose for the first time in the last four years, exceeding the actual results in 2007.

We also prepared for the future of the Korean economy. We created 22 tasks for the new growth engine in cooperation with private citizens and established strategies for green growth. Especially in the green growth field, we are self-confident that we have made systematic strategies for all the industrial fields from general planning for the national energy policy until 2030 to growth strategies for the green energy industry and policies for the change of existing industries into green industries.

This unprecedented financial crisis has not ended yet. Major advanced countries have already fallen into negative growth and the amount of world trade is expected to decrease for the first time since 1982. Some people mention a second World Depression. On the other hand, the revolutionary change to a Low Carbon, Green Society is rapidly progressing. This is a huge change similar to the change from an industrialized society to an information-oriented society.

Not to be swept away in the huge wave of change, we should go ahead and take the initiative of change. If we bear up against this hardship and prepare for our upcoming future, our economic status in the world can be better after the crisis has gone. This unprecedented crisis can be changed into an unprecedented chance.

This year, the MKE will prepare for the new leap of our economy taking the lead to overcome the financial crisis with a pre-emptive response and creating a new momentum for growth at the same time. For the rapid economic recovery, most of all, investment and employment are the most important. The MKE will make more efforts to activate the local economy and entice foreign direct investment through the early establishment of the 19.5 trillion IT/SW New Energy Deal. Moreover, the MKE will create 30,000 new advanced jobs in the field of knowledge service, the hightechnology industry, and energy.

We should have a long-term view to see far away. We need that attitude to prepare for our future. The first strategy for this will be low carbon emissions and green growth. This year, we will buckle down the green growth strategies that we prepared last year. We will focus on the development and popularization of green technologies, and try to join together green technology to existing industries for the elevation of the competitiveness of our key industries.

Next, we will foster our new growth engine with strategic R&D investment. Specifically, we will make the R&D system more effective, create a new growth engine fund, and ease several regulations. Therefore, we will incite more investment in the private R&D field.

The MKE has never forgotten our first promise to be the ministry to serve the nation and companies. We will do our best to give all of you hope and trust sharing the difficulties with the nation and companies.

I hope all of you have a blessed happy 2009. Thank you.

Era of Digital Prosperity will Open this Year

Choi See-joong

Chairman of Korea Communications Commission

The New Year 2009 has come. I sincerely hope your home will be happy all the year around, the nation will be developed further and the national economy will be upgraded.

IPTV, which started commercial service last year, is forecasting another life revolution with more diversified content and services. Education programs offered by IPTV will be of great help to reduce private expenses for education and the narrowing education gap between regions.

A great change will come in communication services. Wireless Internet telephones using WiBro will be introduced and the quality of mobile communication will be improved further with frequency relocations. With the expansion of products combined with Internet telephones, the household burden on communication expenses will be reduced substantially.

Digital convergence services, which gained strength with the inauguration of the Korea Communications Commission, are changing people's living patterns like this. The government will make best efforts to provide people and enterprises with benefits coming from digital prosperity.

The government's most important task for 2009 is to tide over the economic crisis, which was sparked from the US financial meltdown. Along with this, it will exert all-out efforts to let a recovered economy lead to long-term national competitiveness.

I will place the goal of the 2009 Broadcasting and Communication Policy on tiding over the economic crisis and realizing the powerhouse of Broadcasting and Communication. I will make best efforts to ride out the economic crisis by making the best use of broadcasting and communication infrastructure and fostering broadcasting and communication as the industry armed with global competitive power. In a nutshell, I will use this crisis as an opportunity to let the country become a global broadcasting and communication-centered nation.

To this end, I will exert special efforts for innovation of the media industry. In line with this, I will make the year 2009 the first year for innovation of the media industry. By allowing media to operate another business simultaneously and easing regulations on ownership, I will create conditions to establish a global media group. At the same time, I will introduce a free competition system to the monopolized broadcasting advertisement market, injecting fresh vigor into the market.

Along with this, I will persistently propel activation of IPTV and conversion of broadcasting into digitalization, while creating an environment where broadcasting and communication contents can receive proper value in order to enhance competitiveness in this field.

In 2009, I will continue exerting efforts to improve an investment environment and reduce the household burden on communication expenses. I will increase providers' communication investment by around 7 trillion won and advance and allocate 800-900 MHz frequencies to accelerate investment. Along with this, I will raise the discount rate for combined products, now tied at 20 percent, to 30 percent, and make a strong push for reduction in fees for pay broadcasting.

I will extend concentrated assistance to overseas advancement in the broadcasting and communication sector. I will actively foster WiBro, DMB and IPTV as export strategic items, while engaging in active sales diplomacy. With these projects, I hope to greatly contribute to planting a national brand Broadcasting Korea in the global market.

To make the Internet a place of sound and creative communication, we will actively support voluntary private sector clean activity and strengthen a system to confirm identification and supervise illegal information.

In addition, I will persistently push ahead with revising laws and regulations in such a way as to meet the convergence environment and a policy to strengthen broadcasting's role for the public interest. I will exert all-out efforts to make Korea a powerhouse of broadcasting and communication.

Early Budget Execution for Economic Stimulation

Won Sei-hoon

Minister of Public Administration and Security

In order to overcome the global economic depression as soon as possible, many nations are working hard, and now have entered into borderless competition. However, if we successfully break through this difficulty, we will be able to get another chance to bound forward. Therefore, we have to concentrate all our efforts on economic stimulation. To this end, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security (MOPAS) will take the lead in creating jobs and stimulating the national economy. What matters most to this end is the early execution of our government budget. Speedy and efficient budget execution will play the pivotal role in maintaining our difficult economy, which is expected to suffer most severely in the first half of this year, while contributing to the economic recovery in the second half.

Without relaxing the speed of early budget execution which started at the year end of 2008, we ought to continue to push ahead with our efforts to execute both central and local budgets. In order to solve the problem of jobless young men, administration internship will be expanded, and efforts will be made for the knowledge and information database project. By using local budgets more efficiently, we will create a market-friendly and business-friendly environment, stepping up deregulation and simplifying administrative procedures from the viewpoint of customers and enterprises. Along with our efforts to overcome economic difficulties, another important mission is to prepare for the future. The first task to be done is to raise government competitiveness. To this end, while maintaining the core policy of small government, we continue to speed up tasks including the privatization of public organizations.

Expecting Renewal of Efforts toward an IT-Strong Nation

Lee Sang-min

Member of the National Assembly

In 2008, we have had huge sweeping changes in many aspects of the political, social, and economic fields. Politically, a new government and the 18th National Assembly have been launched, and economically we are meeting with a global economic depression originating from the US. Particularly, the science and technology field has experienced bitter changes. For this reason, I, as Chief Secretary of the Education, Science, and Technology Committee of the National Assembly, will make every effort to seek a vision, develop new science and technology policies, and make arrangements to encourage scientists and technicians. To this end, first of all, the Minister in charge of Science and Technology has to be raised to the level of Vice Prime Minister so that he can play the role of a control tower for the science and technology field. Also, the age limit for scientists and technicians has to be extended along with the improvement of the pension system for them.

As you know well, the specialized information technologies of Korea are gaining worldwide recognition, but this fame of an IT-strong nation has not been obtained in a short period of time. It has been made possible by our all-out efforts: that is, the government and people have supported the IT industry on an ongoing basis, and large businesses as well as small-scale venture businesses have concentrated their efforts in the development of technologies. And also many authoritative journals including the Korea IT Times has tried to suggest valuable ideas and opinions. Thanks to our incessant efforts and our powerful IT industry, I believe we are having high hopes and expectations that Korea can overcome this global economic depression. On the occasion of the New Year of 2009, I am expecting a renewal of efforts toward maintaining this IT-strong nation.

Hope 2009 together with Seoul Metropolitan Government

Oh Se-hoon

Mayor of Seoul

A New Year has come, but the icy wind of the global financial crisis has cut through the layers of clothes to our bone. At this point in time, what matters is how to survive. We, however, believe in our potential. In the past many crises have provided us with opportunities to produce endurance, so that it has produced a new hope, which has led to creating miracles. We are vividly remembering the oil shock in the 1970's and the Asian financial crisis in the 1990's, and we have succeeded in wisely breaking through those crises. Where does our potential come from It came from our hope. We have the strength of hope. Now is the time to produce high hopes, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government will take the lead in producing hopes.

Hope 2009 Together with Seoul Metropolitan Government is this year's goal of Seoul City. Also I, as mayor of Seoul City, declare this year The Year of Seoultype Welfare. All citizens, rich and poor, young and old, men and women, are in the same boat. But when we are brought to a crisis, the low-income brackets are the most vulnerable. They can easily become victims of crisis. For this reason, Seoul City government will give a helping hand to them on an ongoing basis, not a temporary or makeshift basis, trying to produce hope for them. This is Seoul-Type Welfare. Another urgent task is to create new jobs. Our city will do its best in order to recover the economy by way of job creation. In 2009, we will create a total of 195,000 new jobs. Detailed measures are as follows: first of all, we will establish a Seoul Job Center for jobless young men, and create 42,000 jobs through this center. Secondly, we will increase money lending for small and medium businesses, while expanding the amount of credit guarantees, so that we will create about 40,000 new jobs. SOC investment expansion and active construction activities such as renovating old houses and business streets will contribute to creating jobs. Finally, 65,000 jobs will be created in the public sector, which includes various kinds of jobs in the social welfare, culture and sightseeing, and civil services.

IT Economic Driver to See Us Through

Kim Moon-soo

Provincial Governor of Gyeonggi-do

I hope all the passionate workers in the IT field and esteemed readers of the Korea IT Times will be even more blessed in 2009. These days, the whole world, including Korea, is suffering from an unprecedented financial crisis. We need to revive our economy and regain our prosperous Korea and global village as soon as possible.

In the national financial crisis, everyone considers IT to be more important and a special economic driver. IT has led the world's economic growth for the past 30 years. Therefore, I expect IT will also play an essential role to break through this global crisis.

IT is based on human creativity and its purpose is improving human civilization. This human creativity embodied in IT is so great that it has made many things possible even though others worried that they were impossible. The potential energy of IT is just that endless.

Korea is the most powerful IT country and Gyeonggi-do is the center of the Korean IT industry. Not only global enterprises such as Samsung Electronics and LG Display, but a diverse amount of IT companies have been developing and producing in Gyeonggi-do.

There is just one solution to revive the Korean economy. It is to increase company investment and create more jobs. We, the 43,000 public servants of Gyeonggi-do, will do everything we can to make a better environment for IT sector workers. We will create more jobs by elevating productivity and competitive power by creating the best conditions to do business in Gyeonggi-do; inducing foreign investors to come in crowds to the Korean Metropolitan areas looking for the excellent technologies of Korea; and easing regulations continuously to prevent Korean companies from leaving this country.

In addition, to help Koreans and foreigners to live a convenient life, we will change our surroundings and build a first-class country based on ubiquitous technologies. I will do my best to suggest policies to change Gyeonggi-do into the northeastern Asian ubiquitous city.

Busan Believes in Our Hope, Strength

Hur Nam-sik

Mayor of Busan

Dearest Korean people, and the readers of the Korea IT Times - the last tumultuous year has gone and the New Year has dawned. I wish all of you to have a fully blessed year and also have fulfillment in everything you do this year. People are saying that this year will be harder than ever before. All businesses, family, employees, and young people are facing lots of difficulties in the global crisis. Therefore, it is true that we all have been worrying about these things from the start of the year 2009.

However, in the life or the economy, rises and falls happen all the time. Also, there is no emergency that we cannot conquer. In this difficult time, we should not be disappointed, or give up. Instead, we should get through this with exceptional dedication.

We, Busan Metropolitan City, are also taking diverse measures to revitalize the local economy and stabilize public welfare. We are prepared to pour out all our abilities to save the local economy and our citizens' lives. When I look back, last year was a historical year where we had epochmaking opportunity for the improvement of Busan. Most of all, we achieved a long-cherished desire with the improvement of Busan by unfastening the green belt in the Gangseo area on a large scale.

We, Busan, are considering this year to be our second year for the economic revival of Busan, and will propel Busan's 10 Vision Businesses ceaselessly. And we will also use all our effort to turn Busan Metropolitan City into the hub of physical distribution. I hope all of you support our energetic jump.

Now, we should believe in our own hope and strength. Even though our life is rather harsh and difficult, we should stretch out our minds and increase our power.

And in this hard time, we should encourage and rely on each other as family. I hope all of you are able to find your dreams stronger in your family. I also hope all of you good health the whole year.

Have a meaningful and blessed 2009!

New Year's Morning has Broken Bright

Park Seoung-hyo

Mayor of Daejeon Metropolitan City

This year, the word hope comes to us more seriously than ever before. Because the dark shadow of serious economic recession has been cast all over the world, the prospect for the world economy in the New Year is not so promising.

However, I have no doubt, as we did in the past, that we will be able to take this crisis as an opportunity for innovation and change and accomplish another economic takeoff.

The only difference from the past, if there is any, is that networking among industries and growth policies in line with global economic trends will become the keys to our economic success.

This year, as usual, Daejeon Metropolitan City places emphasis on revitalizing the local economy and eventually enhancing its competitiveness by making full use of the strengths that Daejeon has.

First, the City will continue the campaign of Shaping Green City Daejeon within the big framework of Carbonfree Green Growth. We will continue to implement the 30 Million Tree Planting Project, the Three Main Streams Restoration Project, and encourage citizens to ride more bicycles as a means of transportation.

For the regional economy, we will establish a new renewable energy research, development and business hub in Daejeon centered on Daedeok Innopolis, which is the best R&D cluster of the nation. We will specialize in wireless convergence appliances, bio-medical services, robotics for national defense, nanotechnology, and chemical materials industries by investing 145 billion Korean won, or approximately 111 million US dollars, by 2012.

The city also plans to create 42,000 new jobs by utilizing large domestic and international events scheduled to be held in Daejeon this year such as the 60th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) and the 90th National Sports Festival as catalysts to boost the regional economy, and expand support for micro, small and medium sized businesses.

Daejeon is a dynamic and creative city. There are 120,000 registered volunteers in Daejeon. Daejeon enjoys the largest number of cultural facilities per citizen in the nation, and university and college students account for over 10% of its population.

Marking the 60th anniversary of the city and the 20th anniversary of its elevation to a metropolitan city, the year 2009 will witness Daejeon accomplishing what it has prepared for a new leap forward one by one with unfaded passion. Daejeon shapes the future of Korea. Even though it is a difficult time for all of us, 1.5 million citizens and I will continue building Daejeon's bright future.

With full of hope in my heart, I sincerely wish you all the best for a happy new year.

Let's Strengthen our Ability to Shape the Future

Lee Yun-woo

Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics

In order to strengthen our ability to shape the future, Lee Yun-woo, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics has emphasized the following three points: first, we have to reinforce our flexibility and growth potential so that we can survive under any circumstances. Second, while deepening the leadership position of our mainstream business, efforts have to be made to globalize growth-oriented business. Third, making preparations for the future, we have to continue to develop next generation technology and new businesses.

On January 2, at the New Year ceremony held in the Suwon workplace, Vice Chairman Lee said: "We need the confidence of "I Can Do It" and the spirit of challenge so that we can lay a solid foundation to survive this crisis and shape the future. Last year due to the financial crisis originating from the USA, the global economy suffered a serious depression, but in spite of this difficult situation, Samsung Electronics has taken the lead in the digital TV, memory, and LCD markets, and also has confirmed the possibility of leading the market in the mobile phone business."

He continued to say: "In the 30th anniversary of our company just ten years ago, our country met with the Asian financial crisis, but we have wisely overcome the difficulties and succeeded in becoming a world-class company. Likewise, although our economy is meeting with global economic depression, we will be able to create an opportunity to bound forward toward a global company. To this end, we have to strengthen our flexibility and growth potential so that we can survive under any circumstances, and also we have to go back to basics in order to remove various kinds of inefficiency, redundancy, and waste. At the same time, while stepping up crisis management, we need to make preparations for the future." He added: "In the case of our mainstream businesses such as semiconductors, LCDs, TVs, and mobile phones, we continue to seize hold of the leadership position both in the upscale market and downscale market, and in the case of growth businesses such as a printers, notebook PCs, and air conditioners, we have to expand our business partners, differentiate our designs, and strengthen our overseas business foundations. Under any difficult circumstance, we should continue to develop next-generation technologies and new businesses while taking the lead in the original technology and global standard." Finally, he concluded by saying: "On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of our company's foundation, let's intensify trust and symbiotic cooperation among our customers, business partners, and shareholders so that our company will be able to receive respect and love at home and abroad."

Strategic Acquisitions for Faster Growth

Kim Tae-sub

Chairman of KDC Group

KDC Corporation has become the nation's flagship company in the field of network and system integration since it was founded in 1972. KDC recorded surplus earnings four years after conducting large-scale restructuring and reorganization of its management in 2003, and in 2008 posted the largest sales since its foundation despite difficulties faced by the entire industry.

The year 2008 has been meaningful for KDC. The Group's subsidiary Telson, which produces mobile communication devices, purchased Digital Cube, a company which specializes in Portable Multimedia Players (PMP). This acquisition has equipped KDC to be a powerful company in the IT industry with the productivity, technology, follow-up centers and both domestic and overseas distribution networks it takes to succeed.

The company merged KDC Staffs with KDC Times, which became KDC Networks, and entered the Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) business. That is to say, KDC Networks will take charge of the existing HR, the manpower outsourcing business, the media business, and the MRO business, the jobs of the group's purchasing agent. Consequently, KDC Group will be prepared to recover from the economic crisis.

The entire world is anticipated to witness a recession in 2009. Moreover, the domestic economy will be in trouble due to an insecure domestic financial market, worsening foreign currency borrowing conditions, continuous sluggish domestic demand and slowing exports. Amid these insecure economic conditions, KDC Group will continuously generate revenue and expand profits by developing a nextgeneration business. In particular, KDC Corporation, KDC Group's parent company, has already supplied its stereoscopic video equipment to Walt Disney of the United States and a large number of multiplex theaters, such as Bow Tie Cinema and Touch Star, and is expected to make further developments in 2009. KDC Corporation has also secured the basic technologies for cable modems loaded with DOCSIS 3.0, the standard certificate of IPTV broadcasting. In addition, KDC has been preparing to join the environmentally friendly and energy businesses since 2006, and has a plan to become an energy service company by providing metal lamps made from new materials, shock-prevention systems and highly efficient LEDs.

The newest acquisition Digital Cube will continuously occupy the top position in mobile convergence by producing high quality convergence devices with emotional and visual technologies which will satisfy the trend of new markets.

In the meantime, KDC Networks - which is the nation's first manpower outsourcing company - will become an expert MRO purchasing firm by combining the human resources business, the media business of the Korea IT Times, and the group's purchasing organization.

KDC Group isn't satisfied with recent performance and the CEO, executives and employees will do our best to enhance the group's potential to grow. KDC will change its corporate image to venturing innovation from the current image of conservative stability, and will become the nation's best digital convergence group by creating synergy between KDC Corporation, Digital Cube and KDC Networks and through training gifted personnel with passion and a sense of confidence.

Enthusiastic and Passionate Future for SK Telecom

Jung Man-won

President and CEO of SK Telecom

This year is the year of the ox. The ox is a symbol of simple honesty and steadiness. Once the ox sets in a direction, it never cares about its surroundings even though it may be filled with gravel or mud. It just moves forward focusing on one purpose.

SK Telecom has made brilliant improvements and growth in previous years. For the first time in the telecommunications industry, we achieved 11.7 trillion won in sales. And now, we are securing a business base and assuming another shape as a total global telecommunications company putting cable and wireless together. However, 2009 will be an unprecedented year of crisis.

The IMF financial crisis in 1997 was localized in Asia, but the present crisis is spreading into the whole world after starting in Europe and the US. So, this present crisis is more powerful and unpredictable.

From now on, considering that this crisis will continue for two or three years more, we will consolidate our innovation and focus on making our company survive under any circumstance and seize opportunities at any time.

First of all, SK Telecom will drive forward substantial administration changes. We will control the speed of investment, make costs more flexible, and promote operation improvement. Second, we will reinforce the competitiveness of the core business and enlarge the earnings base to maximize cash generation. Third, we will evolve and improve our business portfolio continuously and secure new growth momentum. We will investigate our survival possibilities in-depth. And we will develop diverse options for growth areas. Fourth, we will fix the CIC system and raise original competitive power. We will make a future-oriented enterprise culture with the initiative of the leaders and the master minds of all the employees.

Everything is fulfilled with the strength of our belief. Let's throw away past-oriented thinking and equip ourselves with positive, future-oriented thinking. Thank you.

IBM Korea to Offer Smart Systems

Lee Hwi-sung

CEO of IBM Korea

The New Year of the Ox has begun. We need differentiated competitiveness to turn crisis into opportunity.

To help customers who are facing difficulties owing to the global economic meltdown tide over the present crisis and prepare a foothold for a new take-off, IBM Korea will focus its efforts on offering smart solutions this year.

In particular, IBM Korea will provide corporate customers in communication, financing, manufacturing, distribution and service sectors with integrated smart business solutions and infrastructure to help them ride out difficulties and seek higher growth and innovation.

Along with this, we will strengthen our role as an innovative partner to strengthen enterprises' global competitiveness through GIE model-based global resources and services, including global integrated operations, global integrated marketing and global integrated purchases.

To solve various problems facing companies in a rapidly changing global integrated era, IBM Korea has come out with a new agenda, called Smarter Planet. It aims to help various enterprises, organizations and government agencies apply new technology to business with new methods and flexibly cope with rapid changes.

IBM Korea will do its best to solve various problems Korean society has in transportation resources, energy, logistics, regional development, city infrastructure and financial systems through close cooperation with customers gradually.

In line with this, IBM Korea will place its first priority for 2009 on delivering value of integration and innovation to customers. To this end, it will carry out its 2009 business based on the following five sectors. First, it will utilize the highly reliable IT infrastructure sector - System Z and power systems - for stable operation of customer businesses through Big Green projects and a New Enterprise Data Center (NEDC). Second, high-quality services for customer innovation will be utilized by grafting such information technology as strategic outsourcing (SO) and MBPS on business value. Third, software offering optimized processes and solutions to customers to help them effectively cope with rapid changes through integration of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) leadership and software. Fourth, infrastructure technology services offering optimized IT operations based on IBM software and application. And fifth, innovation of small and medium-sized companies centering on the mid market and strengthening of cooperation with group SI companies.

At present, System z is getting the limelight as a stable and dynamic infrastructure that enables enterprises to cope with business changes amid the global economic crisis sparked by the US financial meltdown.

Power systems are also regarded as a new technology leading the market by offering high-end virtualization technology and stability to customers who are sticking to IT environment specialized in the Unix platform. Based on understanding of customers' business in various industries and specialized services possessed by IBM, we will also strengthen the strategic outsourcing business this year.

IBM Korea plans to make strenuous efforts to create long-term partnerships and expand the content of outsourcing services for large-scale contracts.

In particular, we will place a focus on development of applications, which have been introduced to the market since 2008 and service outsourcing.

Along with this, IBM Korea will offer a top-class middleware solution and service to satisfy rapidly changing customers' needs.

By bolstering its leadership in the green IT market built through Project Big Green, we plan to greatly contribute to solving energy costs and environmental issues.

To this end, we will deploy servers based on virtualization technology leadership, storage and data services, network services, security services and services for disaster restoration from an integrated viewpoint.

At the same time, we will continue offering specialized solutions and services to mid-size enterprises this year. Like the road shows in provincial regions in 2008, we will strengthen contact points with customers and place our focus on growth and innovation of mid-market customers.

Mickey Mouse Inspires Incheon to Succeed

Eugene Jun

President of IITPA

Many people say that the nation will witness an everworsening economy this year but most of you must have read wishful news stories expressing Koreans' ability to cope with crises and overcome them on the newspapers of 2009.

Every one faces difficulties during his or her life. Mickey Mouse, an animation character, is one example which is loved by people worldwide. Walt Disney experienced many failures and frustrations while young. He knocked on doors of newspaper companies many times to sell cartoons but was shunned by them. He, however, drew advertisement fillers describing a mouse at a warehouse in which mice lived with the help of a pastor who pitied him. That mouse was Mickey Mouse.

Walt Disney had a dream and made a miracle, instead of getting discouraged because of difficulties. He trusted himself.

Babe Ruth, a legendary baseball player from the United States, was a home run king who hit 714 home runs. Behind such an honor, however, lies the fact that the baseball player struck out 1,330 times.

Babe Ruth told people not to get hurt because of failures and to accept them because they are only there so that people could overcome them.

Let's feed a challenging spirit instead of shrinking back under hardships and adverse circumstances.

Marking the 2009 Global Fair and Festival and Visit Incheon Year for which it has prepared for a long time, the city of Incheon will devote all its capacity and that of related institutions to strengthen the international image of the city.

At this time, the Incheon IT Promotion Agency (IITPA) will focus on following matters this year so that the IT and cultural industries of the city will be able to overcome present financial difficulties and achieve development.

First, for a successful Global Fair and Festival, which is one of the main events of Incheon government, the IITPA will make utmost efforts to promote various projects related to the future of robot science, the u-Tourpia business, the Robot World Cup, ITC2009 and the Incheon Information Industry Exhibition.

During the period of the festival, diverse content to raise Incheon citizens' awareness about robots, such as Robot Land, will be introduced. The agency will try to make the International Trade Center (ITC) strengthen its image as an international exhibition center representing the city by encouraging more overseas clients to participate in the event.

Second, since the IITPAwas selected to proceed with the Robot Land project, the agency will put all effort into the preparations for creating it.

The agency will improve levels of various robot-related programs, such as the Korea Robot Game Festival, robot classes, robot camps, and robot academies.

In addition, in an effort to foster the regional robot industry, we will establish an Incheon intelligent robot research institute and try to attract national policy projects so that the city will be able to lead the industry in terms of spearheading businesses of the metropolitan economic bloc.

Third, being designated as a district for promoting cultural industries, the IITPA will concentrate on solidifying bases of cultural content-related industry in close collaboration with the Incheon Metropolitan Government and the Nam-gu office.

Through establishing the next-generation tangible content industry which the city is concentrating on, in particular, the agency will pave the way for transforming Incheon to a forward base for producing and supplying cultural content and an important hub of the culture industry by promoting fields regarding tangible games, virtual reality, digital video and animatronics.

Fourth, the IITPA will establish a performance-centered overseas marketing support system. The agency will try to strengthen its role as a leading institution to expand IT exports based on the know-how of developing international markets accumulated for the past six years.

The agency will increase the number of companies taking part in overseas marketing projects offered by the IITPA to over 50 and step up follow-up support after the exhibition to expand exports.

Fifth, the agency will lead the efforts to help the IT companies of Incheon overcome difficulties by strengthening tailored support for the firms. For that purpose, the agency will step up its efforts to support individual exhibitions that provide tailored marketing assistance for companies and to help firms that are facing troubles in terms of technological development due to financial difficulty develop commercialization technologies.

Additionally, the IITPA will make positive efforts to expand investment opportunities of Incheon IT companies through cooperation with members of the IT CEO club and effective operation of the Incheon Venture Fund.

Games Industry Not Hampered by Crisis

Choi Kyu-nam

President of the Korea Game Industry Agency

The year of 2008, an eventful year, has gone. And the whole New Year of the Ox has dawned. Last year was meaningful due to the many results that game companies had made even though there was a huge shadow of world depression. In 2007, our domestic game industry bore a lot of fruit and made brilliant developments such as achieving more than one billion dollars in exports.

Especially, in 2008, the global game exhibition GStar 2008 was held successfully and secured as a sound Korean game festival. Subsequently, the outline of a global game hub center with Microsoft is becoming clearer. These fruitful outcomes have inspired the game industry to consider a new vision and goal seriously, not hanging up its hat.

Our game content is already in the limelight as the most competitive content not only in the domestic market but also in foreign markets. The game industry is a so-called higher value-added business or faithful industry in a severe depression. So, lots of interest is put into this industry and will largely increase owing to the government's recent announcement about its mid- and long-range plans of game industry development.

With this announcement, the government has promised that they will try to make a strategic advance into the global market, promotion of the foundation for next generation game production, a guarantee of futuristic creative manpower and leading technology, a creation of valuable game culture, the development of a circulation environment, guidance of the world's e-Sports, and a systematization of the convergence environment by 2012.

Korea can surely achieve rapid growth in every industry including games by making the best use of its advantages. Even though it is a hard time, I am sure that investment in the IT industry should be steady and continuous to protect this special asset. Especially, the game industry is the a leader among all the IT industry partly because it ranks at the top in the online games division in the whole world. Also, it is also anticipated as a future growth engine industry because of its infinite possibility for growth.

Accordingly, the Korea Game Industry Agency is engaged in many activities such as game valuation and business agreements to build a system for supporting investment with a lot of responsibility. From now on, we will do our best to encourage governmental investment and support will be steady.

We are at the starting point now and this crisis is an opportunity, paradoxically. Korea has started the second game evolution to become the hub of the world's game industry. We usually realize that crisis is another opportunity after it has passed by. Now, the time when the whole world is in financial crisis can be a real chance to improve the competitiveness of our IT industry.

In 2009, I sincerely hope that you will have new challenges and growth in every other field including IT. I also want to say thank you to all of you, esteemed readers of the Korea IT Times and our families for always having interest in the Korean game industry.

I wish from my heart that all of you to have a pleasant new year. Thank you.

Information Security Higher Priority in 2009

Hwang Joong-yeon

President & CEO of Korea Information Security Agency

Recently, the hot topic of IT is digital convergence. Digital convergence is the idea of merging all internet, communications and broadcasting services into one network in order to use all the services in an unrestricted manner. All social and economic activities currently use the internet. In addition, communications and broadcasting are already intimately connected.

These days, some digital technologies related to the concept of convergence have started to communicate with each other and create new styles of products and services, which show that our society is approaching the era of digital convergence. Those technologies include the convergence of information - sound, data, and images; the convergence of networks - broadcasting, communication, and Internet; and the convergence of devices - computer, wireless devices, and information based home appliances.

The upcoming future is not a simple one like functionoriented convergence, but the convergence of devices which communicate with and augment each other - a totally different and new one. However, in a convergence environment, there can be some adverse affects such as an invasion of privacy, hacking, or picking up a virus.

Last year, some huge accidents related to the spillage of private information followed one after another especially in some online shopping malls, telecommunication companies, and an oil refinery. Up to 200,000 people participated in the class action and that naturally drew attention to the compensation for damages of those related companies.

From now on, the importance of information protection will be bigger and its sphere will also be expanded. To appropriately confront the signs of the times, we need to enforce the protection of IT users and make privacy policies. Furthermore, we need to establish a stable and reliable environment to cope with adverse effects efficiently.

In this context, the role of the Korea Information Security Agency (KISA) is vital. The Korea Information Security Agency will try hard to create a comfortable and warm cyber society to all the Korean people. And we will also do our best to restore the damages of adverse affects and prevent others.

In 2009, KISA will always suggest convenience and politeness to people in cyberspace as our first mission. And with this in mind, KISA will help to restore many damaged people and companies as soon as possible. In addition, we will work together with netizens all the time whenever we enlarge new IT services and commercialize them.

Dear Readers of the Korea IT Times

Dr. Norbert Baas

German Ambassador to the Republic of Korea

It is a great pleasure for me to send a New Year's message to the esteemed readers of the Korea IT Times.

In Germany as well as here in Korea information and communication technologies (ICT) are the No. 1 innovation motors. They are driving more than 80% of innovations in Germany's strong application fields and branches like automotive, medical technology and logistics.

The German Federal Government's High-Tech Strategy therefore puts ICT among the most important areas of innovation.

Science, business and politics in Germany are joining forces to ensure that the ICT-engine is given a further boost. The ICT 2020 research program is the contribution of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for the aspect of Research Support identified in the High-Tech Strategy and in the action program iD2010 - Information Society Germany 2010.

We see it as an offer to science and business to work together for the future of ICT research.

For the first time, the German Federal Government has presented a national strategy for innovation policy, which was developed in a joint effort by all federal government departments.

This High-Tech Strategy for Germany marks a paradigm shift in research and innovation policy.

Many good ideas are being developed in Germany, which has always been proud of its excellent inventors, but too few of them are turned to commercial account.

We therefore need a better climate where ideas can be ignited more effectively, where research results can be translated into products, processes and services more easily. Our vision is to turn Germany into one of the most research-friendly nations in the world.

Up to and including 2009, the German Federal Government will make available a total of approximately 15 billion euros for cutting-edge technologies and technology- spanning programs with the aim of strengthening innovation.

This will contribute substantially to achieving the goal of increasing the investments in research and development to three per cent of the gross domestic product by 2010.

Within this framework according to current budget planning, the ICT 2020 support program will be provided with funds of just about 300 million euros per year from 2007 to 2011, together with around 80 million euros per year for ICT support from the Ministry of Economics and Technology.

All this presents good opportunities for deepening cooperation between Germany and Korea. Germans are fully aware of and admire Korea's success in making its ICT flourishing.

Korea's as well as Germany's economies are both technology- driven. If we want to defend our competitive advantages on world markets, we constantly have to look for new ideas and new products. ICT is one of the fields that look particularly promising for close cooperation between our two economies.

I wish all the readers of the Korea IT Times a happy New Year.