Chairman Choi See-joong of Korea Communication Commission,
Secretary-General Angel Gurria of the OECD,
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is indeed a great pleasure for me to welcome you to the OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Future of Internet Economy here in Seoul.
I would like to take this opportunity to convey sincere appreciation to the OECD for its ceaseless effort and contributions to charting a path for global economic growth over the last half a century.
This Seoul meeting has been organized as a platform to seek ways to harness the Internet and information communication technology (ICT) for future economic development. We have the eyes and ears of the world fixed on our discussions taking place here in Seoul.
We all have witnessed the broad and deep change brought by the Internet. Making our daily life much more convenient, the Internet contributed greatly to the economic development of the world as the Internet itself has become a new engine for economic growth.
And this is, I believe, just the first page of a new chapter in human history.
Soon, all networks and devices will be wired and interconnected through the Internet, allowing users to enjoy the benefits of the information communication technology (ICT). Already, internet users are producing and distributing various contents themselves by using the broadband network and high-performance devices. On top of that, they are also consumers of those contents produced by themselves.
Such good activities, in turn, will be a vehicle for a new growth of the IT industry. Moreover, a convergence of IT and other industries will create a new frontier. In the future, IT will bring innovation in social institutions, and provide a momentum for needed changes.
However, we have a lot of tasks to do to make the most use of the potential benefits the Internet and IT will bring to us. If we fail in building confidence for the future network business to thrive, the Internet’s potential benefits will remain nothing but a distant dream. If digital divide between people and nations are left unaddressed, the gap in a nation between those who enjoy the benefits of the Internet economy and those who are left outside its blessings would be much widened and social integration would remain very fragile.
In this light, I hope that distinguished participants would join us in presenting a bold vision for the future of the Internet and create an international framework for the Internet economy through fruitful discussions in this conference. I believe that this OECD Ministerial Meeting on the internet economy will serve as an excellent platform to lay the foundation for global prosperity.
Korea has established the world-class networks and become a leading IT powerhouse in a short period of time. I would like to assure you that Korea will spare no effort in building confidence and sharing its experience and technology in IT industry with other countries, bridging the digital divide and realizing the vision of the Internet economy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am convinced that the future of the Internet economy will be brighter and its benefits will reach far more people than today, as we stand ready to make sure that happens.
I hope that this Seoul meeting will produce tangible results and that all of you have a rewarding experience here in Seoul. Please enjoy your dinner.
Thank you.
이 누리집은 대한민국 공식 전자정부 누리집입니다.
