Pi-Consulting

South Korea is already the most ‘wired’ country worldwide, thanks to an active policy of government subsidy for tech research and new technologies themselves. Consumer electronics devices that are still classed as ‘futuristic’ in the USA and elsewhere are becoming commonplace in this densely-populated Asian country. In ten years, broadband internet connections have been hot-housed into 72% of South Korean homes. Since the beginning of the year TV programs have been receivable on mobile telephones, a free service bankrolled by the state. This month Koreans get WiBro, a super-high-speed wireless internet service available nationwide, and representing the first step towards an “always online” facility. Over a third of citizens are already hooked up to Cyworld, a web-based “parallel universe” which interconnects the entire user base through web pages. Society is already changing in subtle ways accordingly, from electronically speeded-up shifts in political opinion to electronic vigilantes naming and shaming urban doggy-poop transgressors. (Source: New York Times).