ETRI launches online archive marking 50 years of South Korea's ICT history

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) has launched an online archive documenting five decades of research and development that shaped South Korea's information and communications technology industry.

The digital archive, titled "ETRI Online 50-Year History," is designed to let users explore the trajectory of South Korea's ICT development anytime and anywhere.

The archive goes beyond a simple historical record, presenting the growth of South Korea's ICT sector and the milestones of national R&D as interactive digital content. It also features a virtual tour of the ETRI History Hall, which opened last year, allowing users to browse the exhibition as if visiting in person.

The platform links research achievements and historical content in an integrated knowledge base intended to serve researchers, industry professionals, the general public and future generations as an ICT education resource.

A "Half-Century Timeline" section chronicles key events and research milestones year by year, from the institute's founding in 1976 to the present.

The section traces the technologies that drove South Korea's ICT development in chronological order — from TDX switching systems and DRAM to the world's first commercial CDMA service, DMB, WiBro, LTE-Advanced, AI, 6G and quantum technology.

A "Top 50 Achievements" section highlights the research results that played a decisive role in advancing South Korea's ICT industry, organized by field.

The cumulative industrial ripple effect of technologies ETRI developed over the past 50 years is estimated at around 494 trillion won ($335 billion), equivalent to an average annual economic value of 9.9 trillion won over the period.

A "Digital History Hall" section offers a 360-degree panoramic rendering of the ETRI History Hall's interior, allowing visitors to move through the space freely as if they were there in person.

"ETRI's past 50 years are the history of South Korea's ICT development itself," ETRI President Park Se-ung said. "We hope this becomes not merely a record of past innovation, but a living knowledge platform that inspires future generations to take on new challenges — a compass for South Korea's ICT innovation."