Although South Korea’s high-speed Internet penetration rate communication speeds are some of the world’s highest, the lack of enterprise websites shows that actual leveraging of ICT for local businesses is rather low. (Image credit: Kobiz Media/Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Feb. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – The percentage of Korean companies that have official websites languishes far below the OECD average, which might lead some to question whether Korea is really an ICT powerhouse.
According to a Digital Economy Outlook report released by OECD on February 12, only 61.3% of Korean enterprises had a website, tied with Hungary for 28th among the 33 OECD countries, and considerably lower than the OECD average of 76.2%.
While the OECD average increased rapidly over the past five years, the Korean rate remained stagnant.
Although South Korea’s high-speed Internet penetration rate communication speeds are some of the world’s highest, the lack of enterprise websites shows that actual leveraging of ICT for local businesses is rather low.
A representative of a software development SME explains that business in Korea is done in person or over the phone, not through e-mail. Therefore, for enterprises, official websites are of no help and even if companies have set up a website, it is common to receive delayed responses or none at all due to poor web management.
He added that when business visit banks for financial transactions, banks most certa ownersinly ask for a phone number, the company’s location, and confirm that it’s a real companies through 114 information. Under these social circumstances, websites and email are of little use to enterprises.
He also commented that when you do a search on local portal sites, they show information such as the address, phone number, and map location, not the official website. He pointed out that the practice of revealing such information reflects the reality of Korea.
By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
