On June 3, 2025, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea was elected as the 21st President of South Korea. The AsiaN is publishing the hopes and expectations of Koreans for the new president and administration in both Korean and English editions. We welcome the interest, feedback, and constructive criticism of our readers.
The AsiaN Editorial Team
By Lee Pan-jung,
CEO of Netpia
SEOUL: I sincerely congratulate President Lee Jae-myung on his election as the 21st President of the Republic of Korea. Korea today possesses both “timing” and “geography” in its favor. What the country now needs is “human harmony” to unify its people in this era of global civilizational transformation. At this critical juncture, leadership that embraces inclusion beyond conflict and division is essential.
Artificial intelligence has advanced by focusing on the “attention mechanism,” which identifies and concentrates on important data amid vast information. Korea must adopt a similar strategy. All government ministries, public institutions, and companies need to concentrate their capabilities on key areas of national growth and apply strategic fine-tuning. This is an era where selection, focus, and micro-level strategic adjustments determine success or failure.
The global economy is currently trapped in structural bottlenecks. In August 2024, a U.S. federal court ruled that Google had paid massive sums to smartphone manufacturers in exchange for monopolizing user traffic through their address bars. This has hindered innovation and blocked market entry for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Samsung Electronics has reportedly earned over 10 trillion KRW annually within this framework, yet this has weakened its motivation for technological advancement.
Korea holds the world’s only viable solution to this problem. Netpia, founded in 1995, developed the world’s first “brand-name auto-exchange engine,” enabling domain naming systems in 95 local languages. This system, which allows brand names to function like phone numbers as direct web addresses, lets SMEs connect with consumers directly through their own brand names.
It is now time for Korea to lead the Fourth Convergent Industrial Revolution, in which the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors merge through the internet. This new industrial structure facilitates virtual entrepreneurship, remote work, and online distribution, turning the entire national territory into economic land. For example, a white-collar worker in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun area might run a lodging business from an empty home in Gangjin, Jeollanam-do, meeting customers and selling agricultural goods online.
However, for this structure to work, brand names must be protected within web address bars. Currently, big tech firms such as Google capture brand traffic without consent and earn enormous profits. These revenues, estimated at 35 trillion KRW annually, ultimately come at the cost of Korean SMEs.
From an SME perspective, an internet structure that does not allow direct consumer access via their branded names is detrimental. Businesses are forced to pay for ads through Google search, losing money through misclicks and fraudulent clicks. They rely on indirect connections rather than direct ones with customers—akin to needing to dial a directory service every time, even if you know the phone number.
Unless this structure changes, the foundation for digital independence among creative small business owners, one-person startups, and retirees will deteriorate. The economy will become even more dependent on large corporations and platforms. With 8 million SMEs and 19 million workers at stake, the Korean government must act to restore digital sovereignty.
My expectations for the new president are clear: Korea must reassert its position as a civilization-leading nation, regain digital sovereignty, and become the global model for the Fourth Convergent Industrial Revolution. Just as the telephone exchange system opened the door for America’s service industry, Korea can usher in a new industrial era with brand-name auto-exchange systems. Now is the time to take on that responsibility. Neither China’s “common prosperity” nor the U.S.’s protectionism can revive the global economy. Activating the Fourth Convergent Industry is what the world needs.
This is Korea’s duty as a central nation of civilization. Now is the time destined by heaven.
