New minister vows to strengthen IT sector

In his first press conference since being named minister of information and communication, Roh Jun-hyong said yesterday that he would try his best to further upgrade the nation’s already strong information technology sector. The government would revise regulations to ensure better consumer protection and fairer competition between information technology firms, Mr. Roh said in a meeting following his official inauguration in the morning. The 52-year-old minister said he would also try to help strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized venture firms, software makers and parts manufacturers in the IT sector. Such companies, he said, have received far less attention from the public and the government than major firms. He emphasized that he would endeavor to form global partnerships in cutting-edge information technologies. A former vice minister of information and communication, Mr. Roh began his career as a mid-ranking government official in 1977. He gained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from Seoul National University. Mr. Roh’s predecessor, Chin Dae-je, was hailed for his contribution to maintaining Korea’s strong global position in the IT sector over the past three years. Mr. Chin resigned early last week to run for the governorship of Gyeonggi province. by Seo Ji-eun