The nation this year has the third highest "digital access index" among 50 major countries.

Quoting statistics of the International Telecommunication Union Tuesday, the National Computerization Agency said South Korea jumped to third from seventh last year behind first-place Sweden and second-place United States.

Other Asian countries also finished high on the list, with Hong Kong coming in sixth and Taiwan seventh.

The agency said South Korea's rise in the rankings stems from its global lead in the number of high-speed mobile Web subscribers and Internet users, and its rising pool of cable TV subscribers.

The rank in digital access index had gone up and down with one steep rise through 2002, with the agency adding the nation has now reached a plateau after rapid growth.