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Uzbekistan, among others. ICT centres are opening in areas
including Afghanistan, Costa Rica and Panama. Through these
projects, ICT infrastructure such as the Internet plaza,
computer laboratory and seminar rooms are established with
free Internet access, and practical and educational ICT training
courses are offered to help nurture ICT human resources. Such
facilities, available to students or staff members at private
companies, are contributing to the development of an ICT
educational environment and arousing the interest of the ICT
area. This will lead to the further development of the ICT indus-
try, which is the ultimate goal of this project. In fact, support
for the development of an ICT system at the Industrial Control
Authority (ICA) and a quality control institution in Egypt
boosted domestic demand and exports by improving the value
of industrial goods as well as raising the efficiency of quality
control mechanisms.
In addition to the basic support of dispatching ICT experts and
providing ICT equipment, various seminars are held in develop-
ing countries. For example, NIDA has hosted the International
Seminar on Internet Resources Management since 2003 in devel-
oping countries like Cambodia, Sri Lanka and, this year, in
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The International Seminar on Internet Resources Management
was initiated as a means of cooperating with less developed Asian
countries to reduce international disparities in ICT, and to help
increase basic ICT provision. The seminar gives participants a
chance to discuss and present topics related to global trends in
Internet technology, and to address policies and national Internet
and ICT strategies. Internet resources education sessions are also
provided for government officials, ISP staff and students to
exchange ideas and broaden their knowledge. The seminar has
become a ground for establishing various cooperative relation-
ships between ICT companies, Internet communities and
government agencies around the Asia-Pacific region. Attendance
has grown year after year, expanding from Cambodia, Laos,
Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Mongolia and Uzbekistan to
include Vietnam and Pakistan. Participants share their experi-
ences and knowledge concerning Internet infrastructure and
related technologies while learning from Korea’s advanced ICT
technology and expertise.
All of these outreach programmes have contributed to the
development of common wealth, peace in the international
society and the promotion of informatization. Korea is deter-
mined to eliminate the information gap and build a healthy
knowledge and information society by promoting cooperation
in the field of the Internet and ICT with other countries. With
continuing efforts to narrow the digital divide, Korea is conduct-
ing a wide range of research and finding effective ways to prepare
and encourage the government, civil society, and business sectors
to participate in the World Summit on the Information Society.
Continuing activities to bridge the digital divide
Digital technology makes people’s lives productive and conve-
nient, but globalization and the rise of ICT can also have
undesirable side effects. The disparity in income and develop-
ment between developed and developing nations has widened,
creating a seemingly unbridgeable chasm. In fact, many devel-
oping nations have been unable to reap any real rewards from
globalization. It is also quite urgent to narrow the digital gaps
between regions, classes and generations.
Korea will continue its endeavours to fulfil its role as an advo-
cate of global Internet development, opening an era of
next-generation networks around the world. By building u-Korea
by laying the foundations for advanced knowledge and ICT, Korea
will promote greater international cooperation in narrowing the
ICT gap present in the world today.
As a world leader in digital technology of the ubiquitous era,
Korea will continue to share its achievements with all the other
developing countries. We hope that Korea, and every nation, will
be able to share future cooperation in the ICT field. Thus, with
the development of ICT industries, we hope that ICT coopera-
tion can bring global economic prosperity in the near future.
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Signing ceremony between NIDA and SSP (Vietnam) to provide network
equipment and technology
International Seminar on Internet Resources Management in Mongolia