Gov't to spend 829 bln won in IT sector R&D in 2009

SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- The government said Wednesday that it will invest 829.5
billion won (US$642 million) in information technology (IT) sector research this
year to help South Korea maintain it's competitive edge in the vital industry.

The total represents a 10.6 percent decrease from the 928. 2 billion won used to
help research and development (R&D) in 2008, but more funds will be earmarked for
core technology buildup projects and training of experts, the Ministry of
Knowledge Economy said.
In 2008, South Korea's IT exports topped $131.3 billion, with the industry's
trade surplus exceeding $57 billion. In the same year, the country's overall
trade deficit reached $13 billion.
The ministry in charge of the country's industry, trade and energy policies said
R&D into core, hightech research has been marked up 1 percent to 583.5 billion
won, while money to help train qualified technicians has been raised 2.7 percent
to 88.6 billion won.
It also said of the total amount to be used, roughly a third will be diverted
into basic research areas that can allow the country to control patents and
intellectual property rights down the road.
South Korea is one of the leading IT countries in the world, but it has to rely
on foreign core technologies to make products, which has adversely affected
competitiveness.
The plan, in addition, calls for front-loading of state research spending so 68
percent of the money will be used up in the first half, helping create more jobs
and aiding cash-strapped companies.
The ministry, meanwhile, said emphasis of support for the new year will be
centered on Internet protocol television technologies, energy-efficient light
emitting diodes, software and computing, and next generation IMT-Advanced Wibro
platforms that promises greatest growth potential and commercial applications.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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