Google-Samsung and the Android Ecosystem

A study by Strategy Analytics shows that Samsung currently captures nearly 95 percent of global Android system smartphone profits.  (click on Exhibit 1 from the report to see a full-sized version of the graphic)  Along with LG, the two Korean companies reportedly account for 97 percent of operating profits from the sale of Android smartphones worldwide.
The Strategy Analytics news release also included the following interesting observation by Neil Mawston, Executive Director. “Samsung is, for now, the undisputed king of the global Android smartphone industry. We believe Samsung generates more revenue and profit from the Android platform than Google does. Samsung has strong market power and it may use this position to influence the future direction of the Android ecosystem. For example, Samsung could request first or exclusive updates of new software from Android before rival hardware vendors.”

Naver, Korea's "Walled Garden" and Economic Democracy

As reported in the Joongang Daily and other Korean papers today, "The government’s first IT target in its campaign for “economic democratization” is Naver, the nation’s largest Web portal site, and its aggressive expansion into various services. (click on the accompanying graphic to see a full-sized version) The Fair Trade Commission is currently conducting an investigation into NHN, the operating company of Naver." The investigation is in line with the government's economic democratization drive, aimed at creating a sound online market that protects small players.

To place this news in larger perspective, one must consider that Korea is still among a small handful of the world's nations in which Google does not hold a leading market share.  Google's near-universal popularity is based on the fact that its robots index the largest portion of the so-called "visible web."  Consequently, people interested in a comprehensive search for information use Google.  Incidentally, my undergraduate students at KAIST, both Korean and international overwhelmingly favor Google as a search engine.
As readers of this blog will know I've been very interested in the continued popularity of Naver, given the dramatic differences with Google in terms of what it does.  (see numerous posts by entering "Naver" in the search bar at the right)  Basically, Naver deals exclusively with Korean language source material and formats its search results in a manner that appeals to Koreans.   It appears much more like a web portal than a search engine and its most popular feature, by far, is called "knowledge-in," which allows users to ask a question, which is then answered in Korean by other Naver users.  Naturally, the "knowledge-in" database has grown tremendously over the years.
The most interesting thing about the current news of an FTC investigation is that Naver epitomizes the continuing "walled garden" character of Korea's internet.  Whatever else one may say on the matter, those who rely on Naver search results are choosing from a relatively small universe of Korean-language content, rather than the far larger universe of content on the visible web.  In today's global economy, it would seem that Korea's efforts to move in the direction of stronger software, content and services will eventually mean a shift from the heavy reliance on Naver toward Google or other search tools, yet to come, that are more global in their scope.

President Park Geun-hye proposes peace park in the DMZ

In her address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, delivered in English, President Park Geun-hye proposed that a peace park be established inside the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ). She told the assembled members of congress, "60 years ago, a stretch of earth bisecting the Korean Peninsula was cleared of arms. Today, that demilitarized zone drawn to prevent armed collision is the most militarized place on the planet. And the standoff around the DMZ has the potential to endanger global peace. We must defuse that danger. Not just South and North Korea. The world must also get involved. The demilitarized zone must live up to its name, a zone that strengthens the peace not undermines it. It is with this vision in mind that I hope to work toward an international park inside the DMZ. It will be a park that sends a message of peace to all of humanity. This could be pursued in parallel with my Trust-building Process. There, I believe we can start to grow peace -- to grow trust. It would be a zone of peace bringing together not just Koreans separated by a military line, but also the citizens of the world. I call on America and the global community to join us in seeking the promise of a new day."

President Park did not make mention of the existing international proposal  by the DMZ Forum for Peace and Nature Conservation, which was the subject of a post on this blog in May of 2012.  (click on the graphic at the left to see a full size version of the map outlining their peace park proposal) However, on the face of it, the proposal could presumably draw upon the efforts of this group.  The enlarged area of the proposed peace park on the eastern side of the Korean peninsula encompasses northern and southern reaches of Gangwon province, the only province in Korea that is divided by the DMZ.
The full text of President Park Geun-hye's address to the joint session of congress in Washington, D.C. was published by Yonhap News and can be read at this link.  For readers who wish to see a video of the entire speech, it has been published on the website of the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. and Korea to pursue science and ICT policy partnership

Some of the news coming out of President Park Geun-hye's visit to the United States is encouraging and relates to topics treated in this blog.   Specifically, I'm referring to the announcement in connection with her visit to Washington that the United States and South Korea will begin regular bilateral consultations on ICT policy.  As noted in a fact sheet on the United States -- Republic of Korea alliance  released by the spokesperson of the U.S. State Department yesterday, "U.S.-ROK cooperation on information and communications technology policy, Internet issues, and cybersecurity continues to expand. Both countries are pleased to announce that bilateral consultations on cyber issues will take place this summer, in preparation for the Seoul Conference on Cyberspace on October 17-18, 2013. The United States and Republic of Korea have decided to establish a bilateral Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy Forum. The ICT Policy Forum will be a recurring dialogue to address policy issues vital to the ICT sector and the Internet economy, including issues such as data privacy, regulatory practices, Internet freedom, and Internet governance."
I would simply note that the establishment of this bilateral policy forum is long overdue and that it promises to be a mutually beneficial endeavor.

Official Pyeongchang 2018 emblem released

As reported  by The Korea Times and other media, the organizing committee for the Pyeongchang 2018 winter olympics has released its official emblem.  (click on the graphic to see a full-size version).   As noted in the article, the emblem is based upon the hangul alphabetic characters at the beginning of each consonant in "Pyeongchang."  However, readers should note that the first symbol is an accurate representation of the consonant as written in Hangul, while the second is not a reproduction of the hangul character, but rather an asterisk-like character that can be viewed as a snowflake or human character.
The release of the emblem is a reminder that the 2018 Winter Olympics are only five years off.  Given the current tensions between North and South Korea, this raises some interesting issues, most especially because the Olympics will be hosted in Gangwon province, the only province in Korea that is divided, as is the nation, by the demilitarized zone.  (see my earlier post)