Google Korea is taking another step further back from its “the simper the better” strategy in efforts to better serve the Korean users’ taste. Last week, Google Korea launched its revamped search engine services featured by “Topic search” and “Q&A search”.

“Topic search” is a search engine service that utilizes a semantic search technique to analyze the meanings of words included in users’ contexts and provide user-tailored search results categorized by topics to users. As you can see below, when you types 아르헨티나(Argentina), which only works in Korean, in Google Korea search page it shows a “Topics search results for Argentina” section besides “Universal search” that adds news, images, videos, books and local results. The topic results of “Argentina” would help users who don’t know much about Argentina find out more things about the country.

“Q&A search” is a different service to Google Q&A that has been retired. The “Q&A search” section displays questions and answers related to users’ key words by aggregating Q&A recourses from other websites except those who restrict content distribution. It would be a great tool for users to find answers to their questions or curiosities when compared with other closed Q&A services.

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Translated Google Korea page:

After the launch of its “universal search” in the Korean market in 2008 Google Korea started embarking on a localization project to reflect Korean users’ patterns and needs in its web search system. These types of web search services, however, were launched several years ago by the Korean major web portals such as “Naver” and “Daum”, which have more than 90% search market share. So, it might be seen to Korean users that Google is just trying to mimic Korean sites. But, it doesn’t mean that Google is taking a wrong way since previous foreign web search providers who withdrew from Korea were reluctant to develop a new user-interface to best suit Korean users. I think Google’s different approach to the Korean search market would be quite interesting for Korean users who are alreay familiar with these kinds of web search systems.

On 12th March, ‘&TV Communications’ launched ‘Enjoy and TV’ to serve Korean Americans in the US. This was the first attempt for Korean IPTV player to provide its service outside its territory. Considering the nature of internet service, where the national boundary doesn’t exist, Korean IPTV (also an internet based service) was supposed to go to overseas market much earlier.

As a matter of fact, Korea’s leading IPTV service providers, which were backed up by their cutting edge IP technologies, have been stuck in their domestic market for the last couple of years. On the other hand, it was &TV Communications (a joint venture between less known players such as Posdata, Celrun, JEI EDU and Acanet TV) who penetrated global IPTV market for the first time. What’s the story behind it?

In Korea, viewers lost their freedom of choice when it comes to IPTV service subscription. The choice of IPTV service depends on selection of their internet connection service. In other words, viewers can subscribe IPTV service that is provided by the same internet service provider. For example, KT and LG DACOM have provided their IPTV services exclusively to their internet service customers. However, SK Broadband behaved in the different manner. They expanded their target market to the subscribers of other internet service providers. KT and LG DACOM complained about this and finally closed their network with the reason of heavy network capacity. The Telecommunication Committee found this was against the benefits and welfare of citizens and thus asked KT and LG to open the network. They also requested SK to pay for interconnection fee to KT, LG and other MSOs. However, after the event, SK has been focussing on selling bundled products, i.e. they try to sell their IPTV and internet connection service together.

Outside the Korea, when SK Broadband launched its Broad & TV (IPTV) it was so popular among overseas Koreans and other Asian Korean drama lovers. They bought set top box from Korea and brought it back to their home countries. They could watch Korean drama and TV shows without the time delay. However, the Korean broadcasting companies began to complain this time. They disagreed with this because it might harm their profit from selling TV contents to overseas markets. Ultimately, SK closed IP network for the access from outside the Korea. Korea’s IPTV service, with huge potential in the global market, never went beyond its national boundary. It is a shame for Korean IPTV sector because they could have penetrated global market if they could cooperate together. Of course cooperation isn’t easy but not impossible.

Microsoft and its Xbox-360(a sophisticated game machine with internet access function) probably provide some lessons to Korean IPTV players about the cooperation. They lately signed partnership agreements with NBC Universal, Walt Disney, MGM Studio and Showtime Network etc for the contents provision. Microsoft currently limits their market within the US due to the copyright issues. However, their well functioning partnership not only makes us feel jealous but make us hope Korean IPTV sectors to learn something from them.

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Original article written in Korean:

The Korea Communications Commission(KCC) announced that it plans to initiate a cloud R&D project under a three-year plan, 2009-2011, tentatively named “Next-generation digital cable broadcasting service technology development in a cloud computing environment”, which is aimed at developing and building so-called “Cloud storage”, a subset of “Cloud computing”.

“Cloud computing” is the term used to describe the utilization of the internet for the purpose of storing and processing data using online technology services. For example, Google Docs allows users to upload documents, spreadsheets, and presentations to Google’s data servers. Users can edit files using a Google application. Users can also publish documents so that other people can read them, which means Google Docs is also an example of cloud computing. www. HowStuffWorks.com

“Cloud storage” is a subset of “Cloud computing” based on a model of networked data storage where data is stored on multiple virtual servers, generally hosted by third parties, rather than being hosted on dedicated servers.

The government expects that the cloud storage enables the cable TV operators to efficiently manage massive amounts of data for digital broadcasting contents and to save costs by having them avoid overlapping investments in independent infrastructure. It is also expected that it can be the advanced infrastructure for personal broadcasting services.

Source: Zeus Technology Ltd

The project will be controlled by Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information(KISTI) in cooperation with Taekwang systems, an IT solution provider and a subsidy of Taekwang group which owns T-broad, a cable TV system operator. And it is planned that 1 perabyte(1,000 terabytes) of storage in the cloud will be built by the end year of the project, 2011.