Korea Moves to Push Smart TV Industry

written by: Richard Kastelein

South Korea — one of the world’s most wired countries — plans to commercialize the so-called “smart television sets” over the next two years, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, told the Korean Times yesterday and added that the government was focused on research and development and related rules and regulations to help speed up the commercialization process. The government hopes to commercialize by 2012, or the latest, by 2013

“Companies already have the technology for smart TV, but the industry requires an overall streamlining of related regulations and possibly more research and development in order to allow commercialization,” said one ministry official. “In short, we need the right infrastructure in place.”

As evident at IFA in Berlin, the global electronics market has been heating up as competitors raced to roll out smart TVs.

Despite the introduction of the breakthrough technology, there has been a lack of infrastructure and personnel for managing the industry, Korean critics have said.

Earlier this week, the ministry announced it will be launching the Smart TV Forum, chaired by Yoon Bu-geun, president of Samsung Electronics, which will be a joint effort between the government, corporations and academia for promoting the development of the newest television technology and its industry.

Major appliance manufacturers, broadcasters, telecom carriers and research institutes including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, KBS, KT, SK Telecom and the Korea Electronics Technology Institute will also take part, the ministry said.

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