Competition, Privatization, Convergence, and Universal Service

As a case study of Korea, it has a limitation in generalizing the impacts of changes in market structure on universal service. In spite of this limitation, this study may contribute to providing policy-makers and scholars in telecommunications with useful policy suggestions by concretely illustrating why Korea has adopted its own agenda and how she has successfully implemented it in the reform process. Particularly, this study indicates that each state may have its discretion in telecommunications and be able to choose the strategies appropriate to its political, economic, and social circumstances in order to secure universal service. In other words, this study shows through the case study of Korea that even though telecommunications reform such as competition and privatization is a useful and effective choice on the policy menu for developing countries which pursue the improvement in the efficiency of their telecommunications as well as the promotion of universal service, a new recipe, which looks queer to those who prefer the conventional, might be the better option for them depending on their tastes, as the Korean case demonstrates.

Autorentext

Sung Wook Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Journalism Program of the International College at the Ming Chuan University. His research interests include telecommunications policy and new media. He completed his Ph.D. in Mass Communications from the College of Communications at the Pennsylvania State University in 2009.