The Internet in South Korea
The Olympics are in full swing, and if you’re watching or keeping track of them, there have been a lot of great moments so far. I decided to pick the next country to do an Internet profile on by looking at the medal count. Behind the US and China is South Korea, with 13 medals so far.
It doesn’t take very much digging around to see that South Korea is a very connected country. 70% of the population is online (90% depending on how you count) and they have the highest number of broadband users in the world. The internet is very much a centerpiece of South Korean life. Connection speeds are often upwards of 20mbps, and 100mbps is possible in newer developments. The government’s commitment to infrastructure and providing access to the internet has helped it become an internet-dominated county.
South Korea’s intenet explosion in the past decade was also partly helped by two things: high population densities and government programs that educated those who would be likely to be left behind in the digital age. The intenet education programs were so successful they were expanded to allow anyone who wanted internet education to receive it. The very high population densities and concentrations of residents in large apartment tower blocks in cities made it easier to install broadband wiring and bring it to many people very quickly.
Online shopping and gaming are two of the biggest internet industries. As of 2008, 99% of connected South Koreans had shopped online. And upwards of one third of the country participates in online gaming. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry. Online access to single and multi-player games has entirely eclipsed the presence of computer and console gaming. So popular is online gaming, successful players often make their living from it and are treated like rock stars or sports stars. PC Bangs, or gaming cafes, are ubiquitous.
The internet is a centerpiece of South Korean society now. It is seen as a major force in improving the society and the economy. However, there are those who argue that the government has installed content filters to block sites that may “undermine law and order.” Sites supporting North Korea are filtered or blocked, as well as some for gambling, adult content, and pirated software. Some internet users have been arrested or jailed for expressing their political views, particularly if they violate the country’s National Security Laws. An independent body, the Korean Internet Safety Commission, oversees content regulation and compliance. For the democratic society that South Korea has become in the last 50 years, there are still restrictions that can block or impede internet users’ access to politically sensitive or controversial content.
Despite restrictions, industrial and e-commerce activity can thrive online in South Korea. Naver and Daum are the most popular search engines there, with Naver taking over 70% of the search market. Google and Yahoo! are minor players, as their Korean content abilities are not up to par. Naver is the 5th most popular search engine in the world. Naver also sells advertisements and links tied to keyword searches. Content on South Korean sites is key, and users seem to thrive on generating and finding content, especially Korean-language.
South Korea’s internet boom and continued growth is like a laboratory for other countries seeking to develop widespread high speed networks or for studying how people use and react to the internet. Their model might not work for everyone, but it gives good insight into the development of internet infrastructure and content necessary to support a highly wired society.
