Hyperconnected Society
National and local governments will together make a 5.2094 trillion won (US$4.7993 billion) investment this year in informatization projects for the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and information protection. The number is up nearly 300 billion won (US$276 million) from the previous year. They are planning to expand new technologies in the ICT sector.
On Jan. 21, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) announced its plan for the implementation of national information projects in 2015, decided by 53 central administrative agencies, the heads of 17 metropolitan cities, and the local governments of 227 cities, counties, and districts.
A total of 7,555 projects are expected to be carried out this year with a 5.2094 trillion won (US$4.7993 million) investment. The number of projects is a year-on-year growth of 11.5 percent, and the figure for the budget is a 5.9 percent increase.
Central administrative agencies have decided to focus on strengthening information protection, in addition to the expansion of new technologies for the ICT sector such as IoT, cloud services, and big data. The budgets related to IoT and cloud computing were set at 69.2 billion won (US$63.8 million) and 193.7 billion won (US$178.5 million) each, up 34 percent and 54 percent, respectively, from a year ago.
For ICT convergence in the sectors of home, consumer electronics, auto and energy, new smart challenge projects will begin this year through public-private partnerships. The government will invest 33.7 billion won (US$31.1 million) in 7 areas, together with the private sector.
To protect personal information, 3 billion won (US$2.8 million) will be invested in projects to develop security solutions for IoT security, which combine ICT with other industries. A total of 254.3 billion won (US$234.4 million) will be injected to 153 projects, including 1 billion won (US$922,050) to dualize the Korea Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center.
Among projects related to the realization of a hyperconneted and creative society, which was announced as a vision for future informatization at the end of last year, 290.4 billion won (US$267.5 million) will be invested to advance technology for hyperconnectivity such as the expansion of the next-gen Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). A total of 47.5 billion won (US$43.8 million) will be invested to enhance soft, creative capabilities, including the development of digital textbooks. In addition, 213.4 billion won (US$196.6 million) will be spent to expand the foundation of future growth, including the management of information on natural resources and energy.
An official at the MSIP remarked, “Our plan to implement national information projects will lay the foundations of national information that can respond to digital revolutions happening around the world.” The official concluded by saying, “I think that our plan will lead to the expansion of new ICT technologies, including the IoT. Ultimately, relevant government agencies will solve problems in the society more efficiently and benefit people as a result.”