The NLIA Consortium Preparation Workshop
The Global Conference on Native Language Internet Address & Name
September 28, 2005

Guest of honors;
Ladies and Gentlemen;

I am honored to be part of this Preparation Workshop for Native Language Internet Address Consortium with you. It is my privilege, as the former Minister of the Ministry of Information and Communication of the Republic of Korea, to welcome all of you, the distinguished leaders and the honoraries. I would like to take this opportunity to specially recognize Dr. Kilnam Chon, a top distinguished figure in Korea’s Internet Society; Dr. Quaynor, a member of the UN ICT Task Force; Monsieur Louis Pouzin, the legendary father of the Internet protocol; and Mr. Khaled Fattal, the Chairman of MINC, Multilingual Internet Name Consortium. I would also like congratulate Mr. Koray Kocagoncu for the successful and significant launch of NLIA service in Turkey. I am excited to be part of this Preparation Workshop, along with Dr. Cheon who had recently served as the UN WGIG member, proudly representing Korea.

NLIA Consortium has a great vision to reach a genuine Information Society and a solid mission to strive to become the promoter of NLIA, the gateway to Internet providing easier access for everyone in the world by breaking down the language barrier. As a former Minister of a high-tech infused nation, I can testify that NLIA service swept this nation with its simplicity and convenience and gave back to our people the pride and joy of using Korean Internet Address. The Ministry saw our top-rated telecom infrastructure being heavily used to connect to Korean websites more efficiently and effectively through the NLIA service. Thus, I have great hopes to witness this Consortium launch with strength and speed and to rise to the International call to join in the global effort to overcome the barriers of the digital divide.

This workshop is a place of exchange. And through our exchange of vast information, shared hope, and common vision for a genuine Information Society, we are contributing to make the world we live in a better place for everyone and everywhere through our friendship and commonalities. We must use this workshop and future meetings to gather our thoughts, to exchange our experiences, and to provide feedback to NLIA Consortium’s operation for its current development and future growth. I would also like to request the distinguished guests to carefully observe Korea’s IT status and provide us with your valuable advices to give this nation the power to engage in further growth

It is very exciting to witness the process of a dream of genuine Information society slowly but surely becoming a reality. NLIA service can and will change the way each person access the Internet contents and resources in his or her language. And I am proud to stand among you as friends and partners with a mission; a mission that can impact the global e-Commerce and e-Government.

Let us be in one accord as this occasion is indeed a time to both concentrate and celebrate in unity. A wise man once said “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” On that note, let us begin this workshop and support the birth of NLIA Consortium. I thank Netpia’s President, Mr. Pan Jung Lee; Mr. Byung Hoon Lee, the new CEO of International Operation, my long-time colleagues for making this wonderful conference possible. I am proud to be among all these wonderful guests of honors. You bring great status not only to Netpia but also to Korea. And for that, we are all deeply honored.

Thank you.