Planning for the next ICT cluster? Seoul's Digital Media City project

This paper deals with the spatial dimensions of information and communication technology (ICT) policy. Although ICT often seems to nullify the powers of distance, this does not mean that spatial concentrations of ICT activities will soon disappear. On the contrary, ICT clusters are recognized as places with competitive advantages in the globalizing knowledge economy. Therefore, cities and nations are forced to initiate policies and projects to foster ICT clusters in their jurisdictions. Asian countries are latecomers in this race. However, within a relatively short time period, a considerable number of ICT clusters were newly created in Asia, and even more clusters are being built. Moreover, perspectives from their positions as latecomers contribute not only to their own plans and strategies, but also to the future development of ICT clusters in general. This paper focuses on the DMC (Digital Media City) project by Seoul Metropolitan Government, the most recent ICT cluster development initiative in Asia, and its position within the universe of "electronic space policies" to analyze its broader context and implications. This paper is mostly based on official reports of the DMC project and in-depth interviews conducted with project managers.