Korea vows to create world's top 5G ecosystem

Korea has gone all out to become a frontrunner in fifth-generation (5G) networks, setting a goal of creating 600,000 jobs and $73 billion worth of exports in related industries by 2026, the government said Monday.

It will do this by fostering an ecosystem of next-generation network-based industries and services.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, which formulates the government's 5G policy, designated 10 industrial sectors and five key services for its "5G Plus Strategic Business" plan.

The 10 include next-generation smartphones, network equipment, information security, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices, drones, robots, intelligent closed-circuit television and wearable devices

The government also designated immersive content, smart factories, autonomous driving, smart cities and digital health care as five key services, and vowed to develop them in collaboration with the related industries by 2025.

In the digital health care service, for example, the government will develop a 5G-based emergency medical treatment system by 2021 and plans to apply this to 20 percent of emergency centers nationwide by 2025.

The government said that the 600,000 new jobs will come from nurturing these industrial services and sectors based on 5G networks.

To commemorate the successful launch of the world's first commercial 5G mobile network on April 3, the relevant ministries including the Ministry of Science and ICT held a Korean 5G Tech Concert at the K Art Hall in Olympic Park, southern Seoul where it announced the 5G Plus strategy.

5G has been regarded as a core technology for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The next-generation networks can offer up to 20 times faster speeds compared to 4G and cut lag times down to 1 millisecond, so it is expected to prompt significant innovation and advancements in many sectors.

While Korea's key export items such as semiconductors are facing slow growth, the government has been trying to nurture 5G and related industries as new growth engines for the country's ICT industry. The government expects the global market size of 5G-related business will grow to 1,161 trillion won by 2026.

President Moon Jaein said 5G will give new opportunities to the country's industry and economy. Through public-private partnerships, he added Korea will offer full nationwide 5G coverage by 2022.

"The world has been fiercely engaged in a race for the early commercialization of 5G services. Korea is only one step ahead of other countries and it is time to challenge the world's best," Moon said.

"As highways had been main arteries for our economy during the industrialization period, 5G networks, which can transfer enormous amount of data quickly with ultra-low latency, and connect every device, will create new opportunities for our industry and economy," he added.

The country's three mobile carriers -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus -- also joined the event, demonstrating 5G network-based services.

SK Telecom demonstrated a 5G-enabled remote musical collaboration which showed performers in Seoul, Busan and Gwangju presenting a remote performance in real time.

KT displayed a 5G-based hologram performance showing history lecturer Seol Minsuk having a "conversation" with the late independence fighter Yi Sangryong. LG Uplus presented a pop concert that combined self-driving, smart drones and AR technology.