IT withering on provincial vines

The information technology industry is drying up in the provinces, according to data presented by Kang Jae-sup, a Grand National Party legislator, during the Assembly’s regular oversight hearings on government agencies. People and money flock to the Seoul metropolitan area, which has better infrastructure, while production in outlying areas is dropping, Mr. Kang said. According to the data, total production of the information technology industry in Gwangju dipped by 10 percent in 2001 compared to production in 1998. Daegu saw an 8-percent decrease in such output over the same period and Gangwon province saw a 3-percent decline. Overall, the industry grew 64 percent in Korea, led by a 76-percent growth in the Seoul metropolitan area. And the government is cooperating, he complained. From 1999 to August 2003, 85 percent of government funds for promotion of the information technology industry were given to firms located in the Seoul area. Of the top 100 Internet sites Korea, 98 are housed in Seoul and Gyeonggi province, according to Rankey.com, an online researcher. “When we were in Busan, the president of our firm had to travel to Seoul two to three times a week ,” said an official from Bugs Music, a controversial online music site under attack for alleged copyright violations. The company moved its headquarters from Busan to Seoul early this year. by Kwon Hyeok-joo