Construction of digital Korea: the evolution of new communication technologies in the 21st century

Abstract

This article is to document digital Korea. It discusses the sociocultural contexts of the growth of digital technologies and culture because the current boom of digital technologies and culture cannot be separated from each other. Although it cannot go back several decades, it starts to address some early developments of the Internet directly influencing the contemporary Korean society. This historicization process allows us to firmly comprehend several key developments, in particular, the major reasons for development and the implications of the digital Korean phenomenon. While there are several digital technologies, it analyzes a few major digital technologies, such as the Internet, broadband services, and smartphone technologies, as well as relevant digital culture, from three different lens, including information and communication technology policies, corporate competition, and cultural perspectives.