By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
Almost a half of Korean Internet users took advantage of study opportunities through the Web last year and its market size also chalked up a double-digit growth despite the global financial crisis.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) said on Wednesday that 48.3 percent of Korean Internet users experienced electronic learning, or e-learning, last year, up 3.3 percentage points from 2008.
There was also an 11.8 percent expansion on a year-on-year basis to 2.1 trillion won while the number of e-learning providers also rocketed 19.5 percent to 1,368 throughout the country.
Although there remains some dispute on its definition, the MKE says e-learning refers to interactive studies or training courses powered by information technologies such as the Internet or TV, where teachers or trainers hardly meet students face-to-face.
``The size of the market expanded at a fast pace last year in spite of the economic distress and the trend is highly likely to continue down the road,'' MKE director Kwon Oh-jung said.
``In the past, e-learning has been mostly about studies of school curricula. But its demographic target and area have extended fast to involve even senior people in various fields over the past years.''
Those under 19 years old showed the most brisk usage for the high-tech studies at 72 percent while the rate was a mere 18.4 percent for senior citizens who are 50 or older. But the latter demonstrates a fast growth from 13.5 percent in 2008.
Up to 50.4 percent of male Internet users resorted to e-learning while the figure was relatively low for women at 46.1 percent.
But as of late, the latter has shown fast upward growth.
The most popular areas were middle-school or high-school curricula followed by foreign languages, job training, certificates and college entrance exams. Kwon said the segments keep diversifying.
A vast majority of e-learners used the Web or Internet-protocol TV for the new-style studies and just a small fraction of them depended on TV.
``The Internet will become more ubiquitous in the future thanks to the wireless network. Plus, an increasing number of home appliances will also feature Web connections,'' Kwon said.
``Then, the viability of e-learning will continue to rise. This is really an international phenomenon, not just an event specific to Korea.''
According to the Global Industry Analysis, the world's e-learning market is expected to reach $58.7 billion next year, an abrupt increase from $23 billion back in 2006. The MKE has yet to come up with forecasts for the Korean market.