The government on Monday laid out a five-year plan to develop the national sports industry, saying it will try to capitalize on the country’s advanced technologies to turn the industry into a growth engine for the future.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it will look to expand the size of its sports business from the current 3.7 trillion won ($3.5 billion) to up to 5.3 trillion won by year 2018, combining elements of advanced information technology and other scientific technologies with sports.

At a press conference, Kim Chong, the vice minister of culture, sports and tourism in charge of sports-related affairs, said the government’s plan will also see the number of sports jobs increase from 230,000 this year to 270,000 by 2018.

Kim said the ministry will try to build a future-oriented sports market that embraces advanced technologies.

Specifically, the official said the ministry will build an open platform for sports- and health-related information, called the Sports Activity Index, through which people can share sports information with friends through their mobile devices, and also keep track of their exercise logs.

The vice minister said the government also aims to build more interactive sports simulators to cover popular sports such as baseball and football. Golf simulators have sprung up nationwide in recent years, and the vice minister said the aim is to create more opportunities for people to enjoy other sports indoors. In addition, Kim said the ministry hopes to expand the sports industry’s market potential by making sports facilities more accessible and offering consumers more diverse content. (Yonhap News)

Korea to support U20 WC bid

The government announced on Monday it will send a delegation to Brazil to support South Korea’s bid to host FIFA’s signature youth competition.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Kim Chong, the vice minister in charge of sports affairs, will lead the delegation to Brazil, where FIFA’s Executive Committee on Thursday will determine the host of the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup.

“We will seek to set up a meeting with FIFA officials and Executive Committee members by coordinating with the Korea Football Association and our embassy in Brazil,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We will spare no efforts in supporting the bid until the end.” (Yonhap News)