Carbon Disclosure Project 2011
Case study on South Korea
The Republic of Korea’s economic growth is heralded the world over. Starting with a per capita income of less than U.S. $100 in 1960, Korea averaged an economic growth rate of 8% a year for the next four decades – in 2011 it reached U.S. $21,210. During the past decade it has emerged from the East Asian financial crisis and moved from being a middle-income to high- income country. There is significant evidence that increased use of ICT and broadband technology was central to achieving their exceptional economic growth.
The share of the ICT industry in the Korean economy was 13% in 2000, up from 8.6% in 1997 and the highest among the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
ICT also adds value to the economy at a rate higher than other sectors contributing 50% of the growth in overall GDP in 2000. Apart from the direct benefits to people and companies, ICT has the indirect benefit of contributing to overall economic wealth and employment.
South Korea is an early adopter of triple play broadband network models, which provide TV, internet and voice telephony as packaged services from a single provider. Broadband access grew from less than one internet user per 100 in 1995 to one of the world’s most highly penetrated broadband markets today.
In the early stages of internet penetration across Korea, the main services driving the adoption of broadband were online stock trading, education services, and games. As uptake increased, there was a move toward more interactive services such as shopping, email, and participation in cyber communities, and today the focus is on music downloads and gaming. E-government, e-commerce, and e-learning are also important drivers of high broadband adoption in South Korea.
Adapted from two reports by the World Bank32
and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)33
32. Kim et al. 2010. Building Broadband: Strategies and policies for the developing world. Available from
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTINFORMATIONANDCOMMUNICATIONANDTECHNOLOGIES/Resources/282822-1208273252769/Building_broadband.pdf Last accessed June 20th, 2011.
33. ITU, 2003. Broadband Korea: Internet Case Study. Available from
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/cs/korea/material/CS_KOR.pdf Last accessed June 20th, 2011.
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