South Korean ICT Minister Yoo Young-min on Wednesday emphasized connectivity will play a significant role in strengthening the country’s competitiveness at Innovate Korea 2018, a forum on information and communication technology and science held by Herald Corp.

“An era of hyper connectivity has already come, and how we respond will determine the national competitiveness for the next few decades,” Yoo said.

The second edition of the Innovate Korea forum co-hosted by National Research Council of Science and Technology covered a range of topics including the fifth-generation network technology, autonomous driving, smart health care and ICT cooperation between South and North Korea. An around 400-strong audience participated in the event. 

The ICT minister cited data, network and artificial intelligence technologies as key elements that will lead the country’s “fourth industrial revolution” to success.

“Korea will introduce the MyData system to boost big data businesses, commercialize 5G network services next March, and invest a total of 2.2 trillion won in AI R&D for the next five years,” Yoo said. “These data, network and AI capabilities will be applied to autonomous driving, manufacturing and health care sectors that will create immense economic effects.”

ICT cooperation and exchanges with the North will be an important opportunity for the South in terms of its national competitiveness, too, the minister added.

“Not only connectivity by technologies, but also the connected South and North with roads and railways will bring about another era of connectivity,” said Won Kwang-yeon, chairman of NST in a congratulatory message.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)