S. Korea's e-learning market grows 8.3 pct in 2008

SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's e-learning market grew 8.3 percent
on-year in 2008 to 1.87 trillion won (US$1.27 billion), buoyed by a rise in the
number of users, a government report showed Monday.
Despite the economic slump, diverse and affordable learning programs helped push
up the number of companies in this field to 1,145 last year for a annual gain of
51.5 percent, according to the report by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.
E-learning is gaining popularity in the country because people can use their
Internet and other telecommunication equipment to study material that is provided
24 hours a day.
"This sector has grown by an average 7.6 percent per year since 2004, with the
number of companies also jumping 34.7 percent annually in the four year period,"
said Joo Young-joon, head of the ministry's knowledge service division.
He said surveys conducted on individuals, educational institutions and public
agencies showed 75.3 percent of the respondents were attracted by affordable
prices. On average, a person paid 18,000 won per month to learn on-line last
year.
Among the users, 70.9 percent of those in the 6-19 age bracket said they used
e-learning tools, indicating large-scale use among young people. This was
followed by 61.3 percent for people in their 20s, according to the report.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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