외국 사례를 통해 본 북한의 정보통신산업 발전전략 : 소프트웨어 산업 발전전략, 오픈소스 소프트웨어 개발전략, 인터넷 전략 = Strategies for ICT Development in North Korea: Major Issues and Implications from other Countries' Experiences

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

North Korea is enthusiastic about reviving and developing its economy through information and communication technology. This paper examines three main issues which North Korea will encounter while pursuing its ICT development: software industry development, open source software and Internet access strategy (or control). Many developing countries and transitional economies have faced, and are coping with, challenges from these issues. In so doing, they have devised various strategies to overcome the challenges. By reviewing those strategies, this paper aims to provide a framework through which we can project possible alternatives that North Korea can take in each area in the short term. This paper is based on two streams of research: ICT in developing countries developed in the discipline of information systems on the one hand, and Internet access in authoritarian or socialist states studied in international relations. By examining the experiences of some developing countries in the three areas, we draw the following implications for North Korea’s ICT development:
First, North Korea needs to leverage the linkage factor with South Korea in pursuing its software industry development. While capitalizing on the linkages, North Korea may specialize niche markets using its existing capabilities and expertise.
Second, OSS is emerging as an alternative to proprietary software. OSS can offer North Korea some benefits including security, less dependency on foreign technological capabilities and low costs.