Teheran-ro or 'Teheran Valley' as many are calling it is rising as the mecca of information and communication industries it was reported, as communication and software companies set up shop along the street following the subway line number two from Kangnam to Samsung Station. A most noticeable development was Hangul and Computers closing their office in Yongdungpo and opening a new one in the Daehwa Venture Plaza in Samsung-dong to take advantage of synergystic effects with its new neighbours. Hangul and Computers will also change its business from software oriented to Internet related.
Also, the Ahn Chul-su Computer Vaccine Research Institute will move to the Samhwa Building which is right across from the Posco Center in the same area; Oracle is to move into th same building around October; and Namo Interactive, famous for its Namo Web Editor moved to Taechi-dong in Kangnam, near Sollung Station.
Currently, some 200 communication related companies are located in Teheran Street. From Samsung subway Station towards Kangnam Station, situated on the left are foreign companies such as Computer Associates, Silicon Graphics, Microsoft, Yahoo, and large-size Korean companies such as Hyundai Semi-Conductor, Samsung SDS, Hyundai
Electronics, LG Telecom, and Hansol PCS. On the right side of the street Sun, Cisco, Oracle, Diamond Multimedia, Interpark, Samsung Electronics, Bit Computer, Hyundai Information and Technology Education Center, and the recently opened Seoul Venture Town.
Unlike Poyi-dong where a lot of small-size ventures have settled, large and middle-size companies are moving into the Teheran-ro area where they can exchange information with other companies and maximize each others' complementary relationships. In addition the Korea Software Promotion Agency, an umbrella of the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) and venture capitalists are located at Teheran-ro.
(Jang Il-hyun, ihjang@chosun.com)
