Striving to keep its IT lead, Seoul appears anxious to create a nation of gadget freaks -- In today�s South Korea, everyone from government agencies to telecommmunications carriers to equipment vendors is chanting in unison what may well be the new national mantra: �anytime, anywhere, and on any device.� The word ubiquitous has become just that. Creating a �u-Korea� is the goal in Seoul�s aggressive push to stay in the global vanguard of information and communications technology. Behind this government-led drive is a deep-seated fear that South Korea�s IT boom will slow as the country nears saturation. Already, South Korea counts 35 million mobile subscribers out of a total population of only 47 million. Broadband penetration is the highest in the world, with 12 million high-speed Internet subscribers. �Korea has entered into a mature period characterized by slow growth,� said Yong-Kyung Lee, president and CEO of telecom operator KT, in a keynote address delivered at the u-Korea Vision Conference 2005 on Wednesday. Working in close coordination with carriers and major vendors like Samsung and LG, government agencies like the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) and the National Computerization Agency (NCA) are pushing hard to move the ICT sector into new growth areas.
In an evolving era of rapid advancement, market demand for innovative technology in the industrial and manufacturing sectors is skyrocketing. Leaders are recognizing the immense potential of digital transformation and are driving initiatives to integrate technologies into their business operations. These initiatives aim to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and ultimately drive growth and competitiveness in an increasingly digital business upward trajectory. The industrial and manufacturing sectors have been the backbone of the Global Networked Economy, contributing $16 trillion in value in 2021. Industrial and Manufacturing Tech Market Development This growth represents a 20 percent increase from 2020, highlighting the resilience and adaptability of these sectors in the face of unprecedented challenges, according to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research . The five largest manufacturing verticals -- automotive, computer and electronic, primary metal, food, and machinery -