본문 바로가기 주메뉴 바로가기
kiep logo

Contents

Citation

Citation
No Title

Abstract

This study examines the current status of North Korea's IT industry and the structural problems embedded in its IT sector. Although North Korea's IT industry, in general, is still in the infancy stage, North Korea has made considerable progress in the IT industry since the late 1990's. North Korea's recent achievement in the IT sector is largely attributed to the regime's emphasis on the fostering of human resources and favorable institutional arrangements to promote the software industry. Indeed, IT cooperation between two Koreas has been rapidly progressing in the recent years so as to lead the IT sector to become a driving force behind inter-Korean economic cooperation. However, North Korea is confronted with various problems in seizing the potential of the new industry and the path toward successful inter-Korean cooperation in the IT field is full of hurdles. This paper discusses the obstacles to North Korea's IT development and future tasks for promoting the IT industry. This study also illustrates major issues hindering inter-Korean IT cooperation, which is directly related to the question of how to accelerate IT cooperation.

JEL classification: L86, F59, P51

Keywords

North Korea, Information Technology, the IT industry, Inter-Korean cooperation

Language

English

References

  1. Bae, Seong-In. 2001. "North Korea's Information and Communications Industry and Inter-Korean Cooperation in the Information Age," Unification Policy Research, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 293-332. (in Korean)
  2. Bae, Seong-In. 2001. "North Korea's Policy Shift toward the IT Industry and Inter-Korean Cooperation," East Asian Review, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 59-78.
  3. International Development Research Centre. 1999. Vietnam at the Cross-Roads: The Role of Science and Technology. Ottawa: IDRC.
  4. International Telecommunication Union. 2000. Asia-Pacific Telecommunication Indicators 2000. Geneva: ITU.
  5. Kim, Yeonchul. 2001. "Reforming the System of the Wassenaar Agreement and Export Control System on Strategic Materialsm," In Kim, Yeonchul ed., Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Guidelines. Seoul: Samsung Economic Research Institute. (in Korean)
  6. Kim, Youngse. 2001. Information and Telecommunication Cooperation in Preparation for the Reunified Korea. Seoul: Korea Institute for International Economic Policy. (in Korean)
  7. Kim, You-Hyang. 2000. "Development of the Information and Communications Technology and Informationalization in North Korea," North Korea's Actualities (II). Seoul: The Korean Ministry of Unification, pp. 105-145. (in Korean)
  8. Korea International Trade Association (KITA). 2001. The Current Status of North Korea's IT and Plans for Activating Inter-Korean Cooperation. Seoul: Korea International Trade Association. (in Korean)
  9. Korea IT Industry Promotion Agency (KIPA). 2002. The Current Status of North Korea's IT Industry and Measures for Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation. Seoul: Korea IT Industry Promotion Agency. (in Korean)
  10. Lee, Choon-Geun and Kye-Soo Kim. 2001. The National R&D System and S&T Human Resources Training System in North Korea. Seoul: Science and Technology Policy Institute. (in Korean)
  11. Lee, Jong-Woon. 2002. "The Current Status of North Korea's IT industry and Prospects for Inter-Korean IT Cooperation," KIEP Global Economic Review, vol. 5, no. 5, 58-71. (in Korean)
  12. Lee, Jong-Woon. 2002. "North Korea's Telecommunications Industry and Its Cooperation with the South," KIEP Global Economic Review, vol. 5, no. 8. pp. 115-131. (in Korean)
  13. Nam, Sung-Uk. 2002. The Strategy of IT Industry Development and Building of Strong State in North Korea. Seoul: Hanul Publications. (in Korean)
  14. Noland, Marcus., Robinson, Sherman and Tao Wang. 2000. "Rigorous Speculation: The Collapse and Revival of the North Korean Economy," World Development, vol. 28, no. 10, pp. 1767-1787. CrossRef
  15. Pohjola, M. ed. 2001. Information Technology and Economic Development. Cambridge: Oxford University Press.
  16. Seo, Jae-Jin. 2001. North Korea's Movement from Food Crisis to the Development of IT Industry. Seoul: Center for Future Human Resource Studies. (in Korean)
  17. The Korean Ministry of Unification. 2002. Unification White Paper. (in Korean)
  18. Yue, Chia Siow and Jamus Jerome Lim eds. 2002. Information Technology in Asia: New Development Paradigms. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.