Digital homes Korea’s latest vision

Digital homes are on the way. Hooked up to the Internet by ordinary telephone lines or wirelessly, these dwellings come alive, controlled remotely through a mobile handset, personal digital assistant or notebook computer. This is the vision the Ministry of Information and Communication holds for 10 million Korean households by 2007. The ministry announced yesterday a 2-trillion-won ($1.6 billion) budget for the project. Industry was expected to contribute to the funding. A government plan implemented in the mid-1990s established a nationwide backbone network that has provided 70 percent of Korean households -- 10 million -- with high-speed Internet. More than 30 million Koreans subscribe to mobile services, the ministry said. Some high-end Seoul apartments, such as Tower Palace, offer basic home networking, and the technology will be upgraded as it goes nationwide, the ministry said. The ministry will seek cooperation from home appliance companies. The ministry said it will develop standards for the networks that suit the Korean housing environment. by Kim Hyo-jin