ScholarWorks@숙명여자대학교

초록

This paper investigates factors that have facilitated the rapid diffusion of broadband in South Korea. It finds that the quick spread of broadband access in South Korea is the result of combining the government’s strategic ICT policy considering cultural traits, businesses’competitive efforts, and the timely explosion of domestic demand for IT service. This paper also discusses the impact of broadband diffusion on the digital divide. It finds that although there are still regional and age gaps in broadband access, the Korean government and businesses are working to alleviate these problems through various ways from systemic to physical ones. While the deployment of broadband cannot eliminate every issue of the digital divide, broadband access minimizes the digital divide by lowering the barrier to inequitable access to information. This paper concludes with a number of recommendations that address selected policy issues related to the spread of broadband Internet for its successful implementation.

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