Got this on gamasutra seems they aiming to become  serious players.

Korea's government is backing the nation's games industry with a 350 billion won investment -- $200 million -- until 2012, aiming to expand the country's game exports to 5 trillion won ($3.39 billion) a year.

According to a report in Korean news publication Digital Chosunilbo, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minster Yu In-chon revealed the plans in a recent meeting, citing the potential for the games industry to drive future growth.

As evidence, Yu said that Korea achieved its goal to reach $1 billion in game exports two years earlier than planned.

Yu will establish the $200 million fund as one of 60 projects he'll draw up to grow the Korean game business, aiming to help the country join Japan and the U.S. among the world's three biggest game markets.

A new report from the UK's National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts recently recognized that Korea's game business was on the rise, as part of a report proposing various solutions to help the UK avoid being pushed back into fifth place behind it.

Nice ^^'..

PC rules. And koreans have always been serious about games.

It apears the UK isn't going to be prioritising it's gaming industry too much in it's current economic condition.

Anyone have any stats about how big games development is here in the UK ? my first statement might not be a true as I think it is.

yeah, grinding MMOs...

Heres something here.

According to a report by NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), the UK looks set to slip down two places to fifth in the worldwide game rankings.

The report - titled Raise the Game - cites a skills shortage, funding crisis, a lack of global scale publishers and poor online development in the region as the reason for the slip.

“UK videogames producers are recognised to be amongst the most innovative in the world. Our recommendations offer ways that the Government can boost the power of this sector so that we maintain our strong global position,” said Jonathan Kestenbaum, CEO of NESTA.

“The generous tax breaks on offer from other countries are resulting in a mass exodus of some of the best talent in the UK. In order to put a halt to this, the UK needs to wake up to the value in this sector and beat these foreign incentives with our own supportive measures,” he added.

According to GI, NESTA reckons “simplified research and development tax credit system and to focus on the development of skills” could be a way for Britain to work its way back up the league table.

link here.

http://www.videogaming247.com/2008/12/04/korea-pours-billions-into-home-games-industry/

South Korean consumers don't mess around when it comes to games either. They were hard core when I made a work visit there a few years ago. No sports stars there - just video game stars.

That's good. There's some awesome talent in Korea that's no getting enough ww exposure

lol I can imagine ; athletes getting bullied by L33T mmropg players.

I want some awesome MMORPG on my console now!