On January 19, the Korea Electronics Association (KEA) stated, "Along with the establishment of the Support Center for next-generation 3D industry in Korea and our efforts to support the 3D industry will kick into high gear to make 3D technology one of the nation's growth engines.” The conglomerate-led hardware sectors (TVs and monitors) of the nation's 3D industry have been armed with world-class competitiveness. However, when it comes to 3D production equipment and 3D content, it has been pointed out that South Korea lags behind other advanced nations.
The Association, which has been at the forefront of promoting the 3D industry, organized "3D Fusion Industry Consortium (3D FIC) last year, with the help of academia and industry, and is planning on hosting "3D Expo" in October of this year. With the aim of elevating S. Korea's 3D industry into the world's stop 3, the Association is set to achieve technology standardization, nurture 3D talent, and promote export activities through the Support Center for the next-generation 3D industry.
On top of that, a council will be formed to respond to foreign patent trolls (or non-manufacturing patentees), and 3D funds worth KRW200 billion is planned to be raised to invest in production equipment, software, and content. The value of the global 3D market amounted to a mere US$14.4 billion last year, but the movie "Avatar 3D" has changed the whole market landscape. The global 3D market will grow by US$161.6 billion by 2015, mainly driven by mobile phones, TVs, and monitors. Choi Sang-mi, head of the electronic information team at the KEA, said, "3D technology is expected to create huge demand for new markets in traditional industries- such as medicine, advertising, games, broadcasting, movies, education, and construction. The Support Center for the next-generation 3D industry will lay the groundwork for taking the nation's 3D industry to new heights."
