Korea's RFID Plan

According to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Korea will introduce high-tech identification tags on steel, electronic and pharmaceutical products as part of its ongoing effort to enhance overall inventory control of its businesses.    As reported in the Joongang Daily, the effort, which will receive 5.1 billion won ($4.5 million) in state support, aims to attach radio frequency identification tags (RFID) and build related sensor network systems to maintain real-time accurate monitoring on various products.

The ministry said Posco plans to use 2 million tags on its steel products and help set up related information technology infrastructure for 17 affiliates. LG Electronics said 860,000 tags will be used within the year on its flat-panel displays, while another 5.9 million may be used next year on monitors.  The latest support measures are part of a larger effort by Korea to become one of the top three industry leaders in RFID and related sensor networks. 

Seamless Home Networking to Debut in 2011

Not far in the future, when a housewife is caught in an unexpected rain shower, she won't have to rush home to close the apartment windows.  Instead, she will be able to use her cell phone to shut the window through a ubiquitous home networking system.  Not only windows, but almost everything in the home will come under the control of its owner when home networking is fully realized.
As outlined in The Korea Times, the government this year is preparing standards for such home networking systems. Starting March 2011, any newly-built apartments will have to equip their network gateways with a general purpose engine developed by the state-run Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute late last year.  The engine will bridge the differences of various technologies or communication protocols.  Older apartments will also be able to add the ETRI engine to their gateways as the government plans to offer the program free of charge to enable upgrades to older systems.

GE Global Ubiquitous Health R&D Center to be Established in Incheon

The Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) and the GE Healthcare and Bio Research Complex (BRC) have announced the signing of a five year plan to establish the GE Global Ubiquitous Health R&D Center in Incheon.   Under the agreement, GE Healthcare, a global leader in transformational medical technologies and services and BRC, a respected provider of gene analysis technology, will use the facility for research and development activities related to healthcare IT solutions.
GE has made a $6 billion dollar commitment, named Healthymagination, to the improvement of health care access, affordability, and quality through advanced technologies and R&D.  The Korean government and the IFEZ see the center as an opportunity to gain advanced clinical knowledge, build professional skills, and create jobs through healthcare IT, which is a mainstream green industry.  For a more detailed report, see your-story.org.

Korea Aims for Top Three Nations in Robotics

The Korean government aims to develop its domestic robotics industry into one of the world’s top three by 2013, officials said in April 2009. According to an article in the Joongang Ilbo, the government plans to spend 1 trillion won on research and development in the robot sector over the next five years, which will likely allow Korea to take a 13.3 percent share of the worldwide robotics market, according to the Ministry of Knowledge and Economy’s report to President Lee Myung-bak. In terms of production, the Korean robot industry ranked fifth as of last year, followed by Japan, the United States, Germany and Italy, according to the ministry.
Korea’s global market share stands at 8.9 percent, with exports topping $180 million.
More state research investment would help raise the size of the domestic market, from the current 896 billion won to 4 trillion won in 2013, while the world market for robotics is expected to reach $30 billion by the same year.  Since 2002, the government has invested an average of 82.1 billion won annually in robots. Specifically, the government plans to develop robots that are capable of performing surgery, acting as security guards, farming, doing housework and navigating submarines and aircraft.

"Korea Connected" Documentary on Arirang Televison

Those of you interested in getting a taste of what is meant by the ubiquitous network environment being created in South Korea may want to view this half-hour documentary, entitled "Korea Connected."  It was first broadcast by Arirang Television this past June.  The link above will take you to the Arirang TV page that carries the documentary. 

Mobile Phones are Ubiquitous in Korea

The broadband revolution in Korea has received a great deal of attention, but on the 20th anniversary of South Korea's mobile telecommunications industry, it is appropriate to give mobile phones their due.   As the Korea Times noted in an article marking the occasion, mobile phones have long since become ubiquitos in this country.  The article reminded me of an occasion, five or six years ago, when my wife and I were spending our summer vacation on the island of Ullungdo.  We were having an afternoon snack in the main port city on the island and the view in front of us resembled a "sea of squid" as several women worked to hang the fresh catch of squid out to dry in the sun.  Right smack in the middle of this ocean of drying squid was an "ajuma," a towel wrapped around her head to protect it from the sun, talking to someone on a mobile phone.  That image has stuck with me for years. 
These days ownership of a mobile phone is considered to be the right of every Korean citizen.   Note the following quote from the Korea Times article. ``It is the coming-of-age day for the mobile phone. It is not just a means of communications anymore. It is the center of communication,'' said Kim Shin-bae, CEO of SK Telecom. ``It is not exaggerating to say that Korea's IT industry, which accounts for 29 percent of its gross domestic product, started from the spread of mobile phones.''  I respectfully disagree with the CEO that Korea's IT industry started from the spread of mobile phones, and think that historical evidence shows other sources of its rejuvenation.  However, there is no denying that mobile communication is a big part of the IT industry and the information revolution here.  In addition to being ubiquitous, mobile handsets have become the number one IT export from South Korea, currently exceeding the export volume of semiconductors.

Korea Pursues The Ubiquitous Network Society

If all the latest and best data are used as a basis for the statement, South Korea is probably the most networked nation in the world.  Not satisfied with that distinction, the country is one of a handful leading the charge toward "The Ubiquitous Network Society."    The ITU describes such a society as follows.  "The vision of a “ubiquitous network society” suggests a world in which information can be accessed from anywhere, at anytime, by anyone and anything. New and exciting technologies are making this vision a reality. The word “ubiquitous” is derived from a Latin root and means “existing everywhere”. It has been used in conjunction with terms such as pervasive or ambient. Early forms of pervasive technologies can be seen in mobile telephony, and to some extent in the broadband internet. But in the future, ubiquitous networks will extend beyond person-to-person and person-to-object connectivity: connectivity will unite everyday things in one huge, ubiquitous communications network, the so-called Internet of Things."  Click on the accompanying graphic to see a larger version.