Status report: Ministry of Future Planning and Science, 미래창조과학부

President Park Geun-hye has taken up residence in the Blue House, but will be unable to effectively govern until her reorganization plan is approved, perhaps with modifications, by the National Assembly.    At the center of disagreements in the Assembly is the flagship ministry for her new government, the proposed "Ministry of Future Planning and Science" (미래창조과학부).  This post is a status report on the key issues, based on my reading of the Korean and English press reports over the past few days.
First, as noted by many reports, including one in www.pressbyple.com (in Korean) a citizen's journalism outlet, the question of the English name for the new ministry has itself become a matter of some controversy and a great deal of speculation in the press.  As I noted in an earlier post, the official English designation for the new ministry has not officially been announced.  However, many press accounts have quickly adopted "Ministry of Future, Planning and Science" after noting that this was the English translation used in the official printed program for President Park's inauguration on Monday of this week.   The press have used this translation despite denials by representatives of President Park that this is the official English designation.
Second, the proposal to give the new ministry oversight over the broadcasting industry, while supported by the ruling party, is being opposed by the opposition party.  The general claim by the opposition is that such a move would undermine the integrity and fairness of the broadcasters.  As I noted in a post earlier this month, this disagreement shows how politically contentious broadcasting remains even in this era of powerful new digital networks and social media.
A third, related point is that the Park Geun-hye government has clearly identified convergence as a central policy priority.  As reported in the Korea Joongang Daily, President Park made the following comment at her first presidential secretariat meeting yesterday.“I have put convergence as the key task to revive our economy. Because the Ministry of Future Planning and Science is not approved yet, I earnestly hope the National Assembly will pass the plan as soon as possible.”
In conclusion, I would simply observe that the complexity and multi-layered, multifaceted nature of convergence itself appears to be one of the reasons that President Park has proposed such a broad, sweeping name for the new ministry, encompassing the concepts of "Future," "Creation" and "Science."  In other words, the difficulty in arriving at a final, official English designation for the Ministry is not only or simply a matter of translation, but also reflects the real underlying complexities of technological, industry and media convergence.  In today's world, science and technology cannot be separated from ICT, at least when it comes to the formulation and implementation of national policy.

Social media arrives in North Korea: for foreigners only?

The mainstream media are all reporting on North Korea's decision to allow foreign visitors to the country to access the internet via the country's mobile 3G network.  For example, Bloomberg carried an article headlined "North Korea to Offer Foreigners Uncensored Mobile Phone Internet."  Today Mashable is reporting that Instagrams from within North Korea are showing up on the internet.
North Korean citizens themselves are not being granted such access to the internet, but it will be interesting to see how this move affects the overall digital information environment in the North.  While the North Korean government may seek to restrict its own citizens' use of social media to communication within its borders, even the spread of an indigenous sort of North Korean social networking seems likely to add to pressures on the part of citizens for access to the global internet.  The situation bears watching.

Personal note on an historic inauguration: the Park Geun-hye government

I've watched a good bit of television today, starting around 9:00 A.M. Korean time.  The reason was that I wanted to follow the inauguration of South Korea's first woman president and the televised pageantry surrounding it.
The new President's inaugural address was a highlight, partly because my Korean language comprehension has reached the point where I could understand 80-90% of her address without reference to the electronic dictionary software on my tablet computer.  For the record, I think she made quite a persuasive case for her approach to government.  Sadly, most of the world's media will have to wait for English and other language translations and countless interpretations of those.  However, I think that President Park in very straightforward fashion made the case that Korea faces multiple challenges in a globalized world economy and that the future lies in creation of jobs that may not have existed yesterday or today, but will arise from the contemporary revolution in science, technology and ICT.
More on all of this in subsequent posts.  For now, I simply wanted to note the historic character of today's inauguration.

Privacy: Korean reaction to Google's new policy

A little over a year ago, Google announced a change in its privacy policy that received a great deal of attention here in Korea and around the world.   I did a short post about it at that time, but somehow missed a more in-depth treatment of the subject in The Korea Times.  The Korea Times article was accompanied by the graphic at the left (click to see a larger version).Google’s new privacy policy took effect on March 1, 2012. It "...consolidated users’ private information stored across 60 of its services to create one profile. In other words, Google will have a better access to user data collected from Gmail and Google search to YouTube and calendar to come up with more sophisticated targeted advertising."
The Korea Times article also noted that "The Korea Communications Commission (KCC), too, officially stated last week that Google violated the nation’s online privacy rule, which requires users’ consent before giving their personal information and to provide certain information in specific terms including how the company uses data, how long the data is stored, how users can erase it, and the contact information in case they want to file complaints of privacy breach. “We considered the new policy is vague and difficult to understand,” said Kim Kwang-su, a director of KCC’s privacy policy division. And Google doesn’t give an option of opting out, which is against the guidelines, Kim added."

Communication is central in Korean reunification

As readers of this blog will know, I've been concerned over the years with the important and apparently increasing role of communication in Korean reunification.   I basically agree with Galtung's perspective on Korean unification, as noted in this 2008 post.
Two articles in Korea's English papers this morning relate to the central role of communication in Korean reunification.  One was a review of President Lee Myung Bak's farewell speech in the Korea Joongang Daily. In that speech he issued a strong message to North Korea. “Although the North Korean regime refuses to change, the people in the North are changing fast and no one can stop it,” Lee said. “We are observing the change closely. I strongly believe that the era of unification is not far off. We need to hurry to be ready for unification. Of course, a strong security posture must be the basis for our preparation.”  As noted in many earlier posts on this blog, the change taking place among the North Korean people is occurring in no small part because of the influence of mobile communication and digital devices which are multiplying the channels through which citizens in the North can receive or send information.
The growth and spread of digital networks and social networking is also having an impact in China that relates directly to Korean reunification.  In a recent post I mentioned the alarming implications of a recent U.S. Senate report on China's official attitude toward unification of Korea.  However, the concern I expressed in that post may be only part of the picture in China.  As noted by the Chosun Ilbo this morning, Chinese netizens have begun to express their displeasure with the Chinese government's failure to restrain North Korea from conducting its recent nuclear test.  This displeasure has led to public demonstrations in several Chinese cities.
In short, the impact of the public and public perceptions in China and  North Korea should not be underestimated as a factor in Korean reunification.