Is Korea a Strong Internet Nation?

The spectacular growth of the Internet in Korea has propelled her to the very top of the international rankings based on technology peneration statistics. The resulting international attention and national pride have fostered the notion of “Korea—a strong Internet nation.” The ready embrace of this idea by officials and the public at large has made a critical evaluation almost an anathema. This article reviews the published critiques, which have been rare and scattered, and opens up the “what next” question for an unbounded discussion.

Keywords:

• development strategy
• Internet diffusion
• IT policy
• Korea
• statist governance
• strong Internet nation

Acknowledgments

I thank Christina Courtright and Harmeet Sawhney for their valuable feedback and critical comments on the earlier version of this article.

Notes

1. This is direct translation of a Korean term connoting that the nation has achieved a remarkable success in the arena of Internet diffusion and adoption compared with other countries.

2. Before the 1980s, the rate of telephone penetration in Korea was less than 10 access lines per 100 inhabitants (KT, 2000).

3. This is not a Korea-only phenomenon. For instance, a select group of metropolitan cities operate as powerful centers of telecommunications networks in America (Moss & Townsend, 2000). However, the difference between the two is the scale and scope of the dominance of the center over the hinterland.