Investor Presentaiton
ONI Country Profile
353
North Korea. Known as the Sunshine Policy, it was enacted by Kim Dae-jung, the 2000
Nobel Prize laureate who served as president from 1998 until 2003.³ However, the
frequent military provocations of North Korea continue to pose ongoing threats to
security in South Korea. Today, freedom of expression online in South Korea, with its
political and economic complexities, is confronting a new phase of controversy.
Internet in South Korea
South Korea is one of the most connected countries and most penetrated broadband
markets in the world: by 2010, more than 81 percent of citizens had access to the
Internet, and more than 16 million people subscribed to broadband service.5 Follow-
ing heavy investment in broadband infrastructure after the Asian financial crisis in
the late 1990s, South Korea now provides its citizens with a national network that
carries data at average speeds of 17 Mbps, the highest in the world. Its capital, Seoul,
has been named "the bandwidth capital of the world," with its fast yet inexpensive
broadband service. Besides Seoul, major cities in South Korea also supply wireless
broadband through Wibro and High-Speed Downlink Packet Access technologies. As
a result of this broad coverage, over three-quarters of South Koreans use the Internet
more than once per day.³
As of 2010, there were 126 Internet service providers (ISPs) in the country intercon-
nected through five Internet exchange points (IXPs). However, of these 126 ISPs, three
(KT, formerly known as Korea Telecom, Hanaro Telecom, and Korea Thrunet) control
almost 85 percent of the broadband market share. KorNet the largest broadband
supplier-provides approximately half of the ADSL lines in the country, making it the
largest ADSL supplier in the world.11
Legal and Regulatory Frameworks
10
12
Despite South Korea's political democracy and extensive Internet connectivity, freedom
of online expression has fewer protections than other democracies have. Article 21 of
the Korean constitution guarantees that "all citizens shall enjoy freedom of speech
and the press," and prohibits censorship of speech and the press. At the same time,
Article 21 contains qualifications that "neither speech nor the press shall violate the
honor or rights of other persons nor undermine public morals or social ethics."13
Through Article 21, the constitution empowers the Korean government to regulate
expression in news and broadcasting media.
14
Laying the foundation for all digital and analog content regulation, Article 53(1)
of the Telecommunications Business Act (1991) provides that "a person in use of
telecommunications shall not make communications with contents that harm the
public peace and order or social morals and good customs.' Harmful communica-
tions are to be determined by presidential decree, 16 and in the original formulation,
#15View entire presentation