By Tim Alper

In recent years, Korea has built itself something of a reputation in the IT world. Although much of this stems from the fact that some of the world’s biggest consumer electronics companies are based here, it's the country’s internet speeds that really turn heads.

Average internet connection speeds in Korea are over 20 percent faster than those in any other country. The country’s 3G network is the fastest in the world, and offers over 98 percent coverage. Many visitors rave about the fact that not only can you get phone coverage on public transport in Korea -- even on the subway -- you can also connect to free Wi-Fi.

Korea did not invent the web, but its citizens seem to have mastered life in the internet fast lane. How did net speeds here get so high?

A few key factors have helped. The first is the country’s population density. With 522 people per square kilometer, and 83 percent of the population living in cities, it's much easier to connect a nation like Korea than, say, a gigantic country like Canada or the United States.

The government has also helped. In the West, central governments have taken a laissez-faire attitude to their Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Meanwhile, Korea’s government, even back in the 1990s when the net was in its infancy, has been very hands-on with ISPs. Incentivizing the spread of the web and subsidizing connectivity research has been at the heart of the Korean government’s technology policies.

This effort has borne fruit, but fans of fast internet are already chomping at the bit in anticipation of what is coming down the pipelines. Three years ago, one of Korea’s biggest ISPs unveiled a 10 Gbps fiber optic broadband system that offers download speeds that are up to 100 times faster than today's standard broadband, and which will allow users to download a 1 Gb file in under one second.

However, is there really any call for internet speeds as fast as these? If you've ever spent any time in Korea, you will agree that the answer is a resounding “yes.”

Online gaming is a national pastime. Both desktop or laptop games and smartphone games have an enormous following. Koreans spend more than almost any other country on paid game apps and in-app purchases. Some even make their living from professional online gaming. Meanwhile, you will be hard-pressed find a Korean street without a "PC-bang," a sort of internet cafe designed to meet the needs of online gamers and which are generally equipped with high-performance desktop computers and breathtakingly fast internet connections.

Koreans now do their shopping online using domestic sites and make use of domestic search engines. The Korean internet, thus, makes up for a large portion of the nation’s economy. It provides jobs, revenues and endless avenues for startup businesses.

Thousands of opportunities have recently emerged in the spheres of app development and website design. Many Korean IT companies have joined the government in betting the house on the future of the web. So far, this has proved to be a very shrewd investment.

Korean smartphone ownership per person is the fourth highest in the world, and combined with the country’s peerless coverage network, these factors have set the stage for a web-based, mobile-platform software revolution.

Already leading the pack for web-based mobile software change are the country’s native messenger apps, which have already outgrown their original text chat and video call origins. Nowadays, you can use your Korean messenger app to call a taxi, order and pay for takeout meals, peruse the latest in high-street fashion, book a hairdresser’s appointment or send gifts.

Although Korea’s internet has yet to pass its biggest test yet -- breaking into a non-Korean market -- signs point to encouraging future growth. As part of his election manifesto, recently-elected President Moon Jae-in has promised to reform “outdated policies” that have hindered Korean IT companies in their efforts to win ground on their international rivals.

President Moon has also vowed to hasten the deployment of 5G networks, and the good news for net speed fans doesn't end there.

Last year, a few lucky residents in one Seoul apartment block were treated to 52.2 Gbps download speeds when Nokia teamed up with Korean ISP SK Broadband to test-run the “fastest fiber access speeds ever," a glimpse into what the future may have in store for the country.

The country, it seems, is becoming a test bed for web advances, both domestic and international. Its internet-based growth is on the right track and its gathering pace has become a way of life.

Tim Alper is a writer and columnist, originally from the U.K., who has lived in Korea for more than ten years.