중남미

Analysis of the Development Experiences and Emerging Trends related to Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Innovation and Productivity in Korea

Seung Keon, KIM
Korea Association for ICT Promotion (KAIT)

Having developed from one of the poorest countries to one of the big economic powers in contemporary world history, The Republic of Korea could be name as “a unique case”. In 1962, devastated and underdeveloped by Korean War and poverty, the Republic of Korea had only US$ 110 of GNI per capita1. But the figure dramatically rose to US$ 10,770 in 1995, and as of 2007 GNI per capita reached US$ 19,730, almost 180 times that of 45 years ago. The Republic of Korea is now the fifth largest world’s trading partner and one of the major manufacturers in the areas of semi-conductor, LCD, digital TV, mobile phone, shipbuilding, automobile and steel. Among others, active interventions of government and close government-business relations have been cited as the most important factors for success. The ICT sector has emerged as the single most important economic growth engine. Therefore, research on productivity improvement through the introduction of ICT will serve as useful materials for establishing national development policies, particularly, for Latin American countries that strive to create jobs and promote economic growth.
This blog describes development experiences related to ICT has brought to the development of the Korean economy. It analyzes how effective the government’s policies have been for the economic development; more specifically, how deeply ICT policies have been contributing to the economic advancement. To this end, this research analyzes the current trend of Korea’s ICT policies while studying successful cases ICT companies that introduced ICT.  Korea now stands at a critical point as the government aims to achieve another remarkable growth under the vision of creative economy.