S. Korea to provide economic data on smartphones through Apple app

By Koh Byung-joon
SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's finance ministry plans to develop an
application for smartphones and other mobile devices that would allow users to
view diverse economic indicators and the government's economic policies,
government officials said Tuesday.
The application will be provided for free on Apple Inc.'s "App Store," where
users of the iPhone and iPod Touch devices can download programs developed by
local and foreign software experts, they added.
The move is part of the ministry's efforts to ensure that economic data and
government polices are well understood. It will mark the first time that a major
local government ministry has developed an application for smartphones.
"It is necessary to develop such an app that can provide accurate and updated
economic indicators so as to promote better communication with people," a
high-ranking official told Yonhap News Agency.
He noted that the application will allow users to view the latest gross domestic
product data, industrial output and other key macroeconomic indicators by simply
tapping their fingers on the touch screen of Apple's popular iPhone and other
mobile devices.
The exact date for its launch has yet to be fixed but the ministry noted that
once the "discussion" phase is completed the application will be immediately
developed.
The move comes as smartphones equipped with fast wireless Internet connectivity
are gaining popularity here, fueled by the appeal of Apple's iPhone for
tech-savvy consumers as well as ordinary mobile phone users in South Korea.
Some 250,000 iPhones have been sold in the country in the month since its launch
here, according to KT Corp., South Korea's leading telecommunications company and
the exclusive carrier of the globally popular device.
The launch of the iPhone app by the finance ministry reflects the growing
emphasis that government agencies are placing on new media to better promote and
explain their policies to the public, observers said.
Earlier, the Financial Services Commission, the nation's financial watchdog, said
that it will begin uploading weekly promotional videos on the government's key
financial policies to YouTube, the world's largest video file-sharing site.
The finance ministry is also seeking to capitalize on such new mobile media in
its promotion of economic polices and the latest economic conditions at home and
abroad.
The ministry is also aiming to link content on the official Web site of the Group
of 20 meeting to the popular social network service Twitter so that "followers"
can view updated information on the nation's progress in preparation for its
hosting of the summit in November.
It also plans to provide an app for smartphones that offers explanations of key
economic and financial terms, as well as newly-coined words in an effort to help
people better understand pending issues.
"We recognize changes are rapidly taking place in the media industry. In the past
papers and TVs were among the main outlets for obtaining information but now such
outlets are fast moving into the pockets and palms of people with the help of
mobile devices," he said. "We will capitalize on new media in order to connect
with people on our polices and pending issues."
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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