Seoul Digital Forum Stresses Need for Inspiration,
Innovation Worldwide
Top leaders from various industries discuss impact of technological advances
The Seoul Digital Forum (SDF) 2010, a major international conference, was held May 12-13 to address the need for innovation and inspiration in the digital age.
The annual event draws many of the world's most influential people from the technology, information, media, and entertainment industries, as well as others connected with shaping the future of the world.
The forum was held at the Sheraton Grand Walker Hill Hotel in Seoul under the title of "Renaissance Now, Shaping another Breakthrough."
Participants in the event discussed the effect of technological advances on mankind, with growing concern over rapid growth and the consumption of resources. They also discussed the prospects for the next ten years and ways to overcome challenges following such developments as climate change, natural disasters and economic crises during the first decade of the 21st century.
The SDF has been dubbed the "Davos Forum of the digital industry" as it is continuously growing as a major venue for exchanges of ideas.
Focus on Technology
James Cameron, the director of such blockbuster movies as "Terminator", "Aliens", "Titanic" and "Avatar", visited Korea for first time in order to participate in the SDF. The director has been widely praised for opening a new chapter in the history of cinema with last year's hit movie "Avatar," which earned over US$2.6 billion around the world. With its innovative use of 3-D technology, "Avatar" had a powerful effect on the film, broadcasting and digital home appliance industries.
The 3-D technology featured in Cameron's latest work sparked the imagination of people all over the world. The 3-D boom started by Avatar is expected to bring dramatic changes to all aspects of our lives. For this reason, Cameron was regarded by SDF participants as the speaker who best represents this year's theme of "New Renaissance".
Jeon Yong-deok, a director of photography for DreamWorks Animation, said, "animated characters that have been existing in two dimensions were reborn with 3-D technology." As one of the senior directors of DreamWorks as well as the head of 3-D production for "Shrek Forever," the latest and final installment of the highly popular animation series, Mr. Jeon told the SDF audience of the "significance of 3-D in the animation industry and the ways in which members of the film industry must accept and apply this new revolutionary technology."
Traditional Media in Digital Age
 Television is now finding itself seriously challenged by the digital era. Ken Auletta, a media columnist and best-selling author of "Googled: The End of the World as We Know It" and "Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way", said the Internet industry, represented by Google, brought chaos to the traditional media businesses.
Walt Disney, which began as an animation production company, is today one of the world's largest media empires, with its Disneyland and Disneyworld theme parks as well as Pixar, ESPN and ABC. In a speech at the SDF, Chairman Andy Budd of Walt Disney International provided insights in how traditional media can survive in the digital age by illustrating how his company quickly adapted and expanded its competitive capabilities through digital technology.
Impact of Smartphones
The smartphone is fast becoming the spearhead of the ubiquitous age. The smartphone has been evolving at a stunning pace over the past several years, creating a mobile revolution. At the SDF, insights on the significance of smartphones and their capability to change our lifestyles provided by such entrepreneurs as Tapulous CEO Bart Decrem, who made a name for himself as the creator of an application company for Apple's iPhone, were especially eye-opening.
Economic Sense and Environmental Protection
Participants also discussed the increasing importance of developing new and renewable energies that do not emit greenhouse gases, and the continued search for an energy source that can guarantee both environmental protection and economic feasibility. Chairman Shi Zhengrong, CEO and founder of China's Sun Tech Power, spoke of the potential of solar power energy, saying "with a population of 1.3 billion, China's economic, military and cultural influence is increasingly being felt on the global stage." Shi added that "the rapid rise of China will provide a map for the rest of the world on how to transform the global economic and social landscape."
Need for New Solutions
 President Woo Won-gil of Korean broadcaster SBS, chairman of the SDF operational committee, stated that "this year's forum was an event that shared innovations of the digital era and offered a vision of the future." Woo added that "the theme of this year's event, ¡®New Renaissance,' was especially appropriate in light of the event's focus since 2004, based on what we have termed T.I.M.E. (Technology, Information, Media and Entertainment)."
Mr. Woo also said "in light of the 20th anniversary of the founding of SBS, the 7th SDF will define the second decade of this century as the ¡®second digital age', inspired by the spirit of the Renaissance age that brought about a new era of innovation and prosperity through rational thought and a new humanistic discovery, and providing the solutions we need today to overcome an uncertain time and prepare for a new leap in human history."
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