- To open application process for ICT contest aimed at giving travelers easy and
  user-friendly access to travel information and create jobs
- Winning 15 teams will receive total cash prizes of KRW 75 million and gain extra priority points
  when applying for startup accelerator program
- Will hold a briefing session covering introduction to KTO’s TourAPI as well as its major functionalities,
  while highlighting diverse functions of SK Planet’s open platform


Seoul, Korea, June 18, 2014—SK Planet announced that it will hold ‘2014 Smart Tourism ICT Contest’
in collaboration with Korea Tourism Organization (KTO, CEO Byun Chu-seok, www.visitkorea.or.kr)
and open application process on the 19th.

‘2014 Smart Tourism ICT Contest’ is aimed at nurturing talented developers who create powerful apps
by combining SK Planet’s open platform such as T Map, 11st and T Cloud with KTO’s ‘TourAPI’* and
supporting them build a solid foundation for startup success. The competition is also expected to
increase travel and tourism business while creating jobs.

*TourAPI is an open application program interface (API) that provides more than 50,000 pieces of
multi-language travel information.

The judging panel will select a total of 15 teams that will be given 12 weeks to develop proposed
services and further selected teams will be provided with extra 4 weeks to make their services
more sophisticated. During this time period, selected teams will receive a comprehensive support
that ranges from individual mentoring, technical assessment, marketing and publicity
from SK Planet and KTO.

The winners will be selected based their download count and judging panel's evaluation.
A total of KRW 75 million cash prizes will be awarded to 15 teams. The Grand Prize winning team
will receive prize money of KRW 30 million, with the Gold Prize recipient taking away KRW 10 million.
Three runner-up teams will also be honored with excellence awards, each taking home KRW 5 million.
In addition, all the winning teams will gain extra priority points when applying for startup accelerator
program run by SK Planet, while receiving support from KTO covering the areas of publicity,
marketing, and advertisement.

Any corporate or individual developer is eligible to apply and propose apps that leverage
SK Planet’s open platform and KTO’s TourAPI. Any rights connected to the proposed service
belong to the developer. Visit SK Planet’s Open Innovation Center official website (http://oic.skplanet.com)
to apply. Application deadline is set for July 16.

The previous year’s 13 winning teams have continuously released diverse services using
SK Planet’s open platform and KTO’s TourAPI. In addition, last year’s Silver Prize winner Yestudio
(application named ‘Write Now’) has also successfully raised funds from Silicon Valley venture
capitalists.  

Meanwhile, SK Planet and KTO will hold a briefing session covering ‘2014 Smart Tourism ICT
Contest’ on the 19th at KTO exhibition hall (KTO headquarters B1, Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jung-gu).
The session will include introduction to the app competition, KTO’s TourAPI as well as its major
functionalities, while highlighting diverse functions of SK Planet’s open platform. 

Jang Dong-hyeon, SK Planet’s Chief Operation Officer (COO) said, “Our partnership with KTO
has led to the development of many compelling apps based on the SK Planet’s open platform
and information about tourism across the country.” Then he added, “We will continue to foster
shared growth and create more jobs by supporting talented developers and their startup activities.”   

Choi Jong-hak, Executive Vice President of KTOnoted, “This contest is expected to create new value
by supporting developers to build useful apps that combine creative ideas with tourism information.
Moreover, its mentoring and customized incubation programs will support participants to acquire
the skills and knowledge needed to succeed as a venture enterprise in the mobile industry.”