Dear editor,
Regarding the April 17 editorial, ``Cheerleading IT Entrepreneurs,'' I agree that we have to create a ministry in charge of information, communication, contents and technology. I also believe that we have to give technology the highest priority and raise the budget for the country's IT industry.
First, IT is closely related to the workforce, especially in jobs for the future. Some researchers say that 3D technology, a hot issue in the global market has created over 30 kinds of jobs and over 50,000 employees such as engineers or designers in Korea. IT has generated various new jobs that probably our children will have in the future.
Secondly, an appropriate and timely reaction is the most important thing to keep pace with the global IT market. Technology has been changing rapidly and surprisingly. For instance, Samsung and LG are facing unexpected rivals such as Google and Apple in the handset and TV market.
If companies in Korea are overtaken by them, it will be very difficult to catch up with them again. We know it took Samsung over 20 years to catch up with Japanese companies Sony and Panasonic in the 1980s.
Finally, some pundits say that the era of the manufacturing industry such as in construction, textiles, or heavy chemicals has come to an end. We should identify what industry is incremental or declining. Nowadays, information itself is money.
We need more qualified technicians and engineers in the high-tech industry than construction workers for buildings or river refurbishment. I think that it was foolish to disband the Ministry of Information Technology right after the Lee Myung-bak government was inaugurated in 2008.
The government has to pay attention to the opinion of the people that say the IT industry will be a ``Blue Ocean'' in the future. If the government doesn't want to invest a lot of money to support it, the future of our country will become darker and darker.
Choi Won-yong Bundang, Gyeonggi Province eduwon93@hotmail.com