The Korea Communications Commission said Thursday that it has set up a center aimed at supporting developers to create applications for smart TVs.

The country’s communications watchdog established the support center in southern Seoul with leading tech and content companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and CJ HelloVision.

The KCC said the center aims to support and encourage college students, venture tech start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to develop world-class apps for smart TVs, equivalent to what Kakao has done with Kakao Talk, a mobile messenger, for smartphones.

The center will offer technology and financial assistance as well as education, while incubating such developers to create TV apps in the fields of education, entertainment and healthcare, the regulator said.

KCC chairman Lee Kye-Cheol said that the center not only aims to boost venture start-ups, create jobs, while making Korea a technologically advanced market for smart TVs, but also to globally compete with Google and Apple.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)