"It's obvious to me that Korea is a great laboratory of the digital age,¡± Google CEO Eric Schmidt said Wednesday. The chief of the mighty search engine was talking about Korea¡¯s strategic importance in the world market at the 2007 Seoul Digital Forum at the Sheraton Walker Hill Hotel on Wednesday. Naturally, Schmidt promised Google will expand its business here, the first step being a new-look site in Hangul.
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Google CEO Eric Schmidt speaks at the Seoul Digital Forum at the Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul on Wednesday./Yonhap
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Until recently, all Google sites around the world used a simply formatted main page showing only the Google logo and a search menu screen. The first facelift is to be seen on the Hangul site, mainly in the addition of various service icons. Google developed a search site specially for Korean users. Responding to criticism that some juveniles use the search engine as a tool to access pornographic material, Schmidt vowed to restrict access in compliance with Korean law and government guidelines. In effect, Google is treating Korea as a special case, despite rarely making exceptions.
The Google chief also presented a solution to copyright violations by Internet portals. He said Google is developing a program called "Claim Your Content" designed to minimize copyright disputes. With the tool, holders can identify and delete unauthorized video images, photographs or documents that pop up on Google, and nobody else can re-post the materials once deleted, he said.
In discussion with Schmidt, Sohn Hak-kyu, widely tipped as a presidential contender for the ruling camp, charged that search portals are ¡°monopolizing¡± information. ¡°Who is in charge in the era of digital democracy when search engines can access even private information, President George W. Bush or chairman Schmidt?" Sohn asked. Schmidt conceded that politicians will have a harder time because voters can now more easily scrutinize their personal history.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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