World IT Show 2010 (WIS 2010), the nation's biggest IT exhibition, will be held at COEX in Seoul from May 25-28.
"About 550 domestic and foreign IT companies will set up a total of 1,400 booths at the international IT fair, which is expected to attract some 60,000 visitors this year," stated Chung Man-won, chairman of the Korea Association of Information and Communications (KAIT).
In 2008, SEK, IT-KOREA, KIECO, and EXPO COMM events were merged to create the largest IT show, the WIS held in Korea. About 200 foreign IT ministers, vice-ministers, government officials, and major corporate representatives from 15 countries are expected to participate in the event, the third of its kind.
Chung also stated, "WIS 2010 will become the festival of future-oriented IT technologies and new products. It will cover almost all IT sectors ranging from digital home appliances, portable equipment, and next-generation PC. The event will also cover solutions, including software, contents, and embedded system and other areas such as broadcasting communications, including broadcasting, internet, and mobile communications. Other displays will include semiconductors, U-city, automobiles, robots, and medical services."
The following is the interview with Chung Man-won, chairman of KAIT.
Q: Would you comment on the characteristics of WIS 2010
A: The IT industry has enjoyed a dynamic development trend. In particular, new technologies and products, including new smartphones, 3D TVs, Google's 1GB fiber optic cables for home, and WiMAX, also called the future-oriented mobile phone, will make their debuts at the WIS 2010 which is attracting keen interest from global buyers.
Along with this, visitors to the international event can experience newly developed PMP, MP3P, and game players, witness the next-generation display technologies such as AMOLED and VFD, and see the advanced broadcasting and communication-related products such as the mobile IPTV, DMB2.0, and the digital TV.
About 50 foreign companies, including HP, Microsoft, and Fujitsu, will display their advanced products at this event, which is a sharp rise from the 26 firms in 2009. The number of foreign buyers is also expected to rise by 20 percent in this year's event compared to last year's, with estimates of about 2,700 global buyers.
Q: What are the representative IT convergence new technologies to be unveiled at the World IT Show
A: The IT industry has played a role as neural networks of all industries not only in the information and technology sectors, but also in the manufacturing, service, and financing sectors.
Visitors will be able to directly confirm new technologies at the IT Convergence Hall, which displays advanced technologies related to automobiles, shipbuilding, medical services, national defense, construction, and bio.
Along with this, the Green Convergence Technology Specialized Hall for green growth and energy, and the Corporate Supporting Hall, which assists IT convergence businesses such as technology financing, investment attraction, and technology transactions, will be established.
IT research centers of some universities will also introduce state-of-the-art technologies, including human IT for the convenience of people's lives, smart IT introducing mobile phone technology, U-City related to business IT and logistics, ocean IT showing ocean-related technologies, and network IT leading changes in communication and network environment.
Q: Would you introduce side events to be held during the WIS 2010 period
A: First of all, an international broadcasting & communication ministers' meeting will be held to promote global cooperation in the IT sector with top government officials from 15 countries attending.
Security and network-related companies are also scheduled to introduce their new technologies.
Thirty-seven research centers from 30 universities will announce their research results at the ITRC Workshop. Domestic and foreign participants will also exchange various information and opinions related to network at the FTTH Asia Pacific Conference.
Also, there will be side events such as the 1:1 export consultation meeting for foreign buyers, a virtual robot competition, a multimedia technology grand prize awarding event, the Bluetooth Seminar, and an explanatory meeting for technology transfer in the IT convergence field.
