South Korea tops global ICT list for fourth year

South Korea topped a global list of information and communications technology (ICT) development for the fourth year in 2013, bolstering its status as one of the world's most wired countries, data showed Monday. South Korea ranked as the leading country for the fourth straight year in the ICT Development Index, which measured 157 countries on ICT access, use and skills, according to the recent data by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a United Nations body specializing in ICT. South Korea especially aced the reviews on ICT use and skills, eclipsing other countries in the percentage of households with Internet access. Asia's fourth-largest economy also ranked fifth in both active mobile-broadband and fixed broadband Internet subscriptions. European countries mostly dominated the top 10 list, with Sweden ranking No. 2 followed by Iceland and Denmark. Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore made it into the top 20, according to the data. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning welcomed the result and said the data show South Korea's top-level status in the ICT environment. The local ministry added that it plans to further enhance South Korea's ICT competitiveness amid views that the country's regulatory environment is hindering further development.