Korea favored testing ground for gadgetry

More foreign Internet and technology companies are rushing to test their newest products here, the hotbed of broadband Internet and cutting-edge technologies. Motorola Inc. recently chose the Korean market to introduce its newest code-division multiple access Razor phone. The world’s second-largest mobile phone maker has introduced other models here, such as the StarTAC series, before selling them worldwide. The American company considers the market “very important not only for its financial significance but also for a development of business strategies,” said Michael Tatelman, general manager of Motorola’s Mobile Devices Business in North Asia, at the event introducing the Razor. Apple Computer Inc. also saw great potential in the Korean market when it introduced its new flash-memory MP3 player, the iPod Shuffle, here in the spring, even though many top makers of flash-memory players are Korean. But Korea’s sophisticated customers know a good thing when they see it. Apple’s market share for MP3 players in Korea has jumped to 10 percent from nearly zero last year. Although Korea is one of the leading players in the high-tech industries, the market here is also big enough to gauge consumer reactions to certain gadgets, making it an attractive place for foreign companies to test their wares before selling them worldwide. “The local market has very effectively served a role of a test bed for local exporters here,” an industry representative said. “Foreign companies notice such advantages and now consistently test for consumers’ reaction to their newest products here first.” Foreign computer manufacturers are also entering the fray, such as Lenovo Group Ltd., the Chinese company that took over IBM’s PC unit last year, and U.S.-based Lexmark International Inc., the world’s second-largest printer maker. Lenovo recently established its first Korea branch in Seoul, and Lemark is also expected to open a branch here on June 9. by Jung Ha-won