Seoul: Birth of a Broadband Metropolis

Following half a century of breakneck urbanization, the capital of South Korea emerged in the late 1990s as the most digitally networked city in the world. With nearly 80% household broadband penetration in 2004, Seoul surpassed global cities and ‘technopoles’ in speed and comprehensiveness in embracing broadband technology. In this paper I describe the physical development of Seoul’s broadband infrastructure and its frequent intersections with daily urban life. As the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the world, Seoul offers a unique case for investigating the intersection of telecommunications policy, development, and culture in large metropolitan regions, as well as the everyday implications of pervasive computing. It also highlights emerging challenges and opportunities presented by the rapid and widespread deployment of digital network infrastructure.