Government structure for ICT and S&T Policy, 2003-present, 미래창조과학부

A Korean language report released by the new Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) provides some interesting new information on how the structure of government is different than the prior two administrations.  It clearly shows that the digital information revolution was central to the new President's thinking in reorganizing government.  The report is titled "Science, technology and ICT leading to a realization of the creative economy and citizens welfare," (my translation) and is dated April 18, 2013.  It provides some interesting detail on the scope and mandate of the new ministry, including the chart reproduced here (click to see a full-sized version), with English superimposed over the Korean text on the original.  The chart shows the transition in the structure of key government ministries and offices related to Science and Technology and ICT from the "participatory government" of President Roh Moo Hyun to the Lee Myung-bak government to the present Park Geun-hye government.   The chart provides an interesting view of how the Park Geun-hye administration not only put ICT industry and policy responsibilities back into a single ministry, but also merged it with science and technology, recognizing the broad manner in which the digital information revolution is transforming the economy and prospects for new jobs.  More on this topic in future posts.

Buddhist outreach with smart phone apps

The Korea Herald carried an interesting article this morning on how Buddhist leaders in Korea are using information technology to reach out to the masses.  The article started by noting that "...the preconceived stereotypes of Buddhist monks living in ascetic, rustic conditions nevertheless do not blend well with smartphones. Yet monks are chatting and texting, and spreading Buddhist teachings, on cell phones everywhere from Dongguk University in the heart of Seoul to the sandy courtyards of mountain hermitages." TheJogye Order,the largest Buddhist order in Korea, has been developing cutting-edge smartphone apps to spread the message of Buddhism. "Starting with the “Hello Dharma School” application in 2010, the Jogye Order’s Office of Missionary Affairs has developed eight apps and is working on several more."

Will Korea's "network powerhouse" phase continue in the future?

Today I ran across a Korean language paper written by researchers at, Digieco, KT's economic and management research institute.  They addressed some of the same topics as the conference paper I wrote with a Korean colleague and delivered  annual conference of the Pacific Telecommunications Council in January.  The title of the Digieco research paper translates roughly into English as "Will Korea's network powerhouse phase continue....the basis for future competitiveness."
The paper begins by noting that the value of networks is changing.  Over the past decade, countries around the world have come to recognize networks not simply as a means for transmission of communications, but as infrastructure that is a necessary pre-requisite for economic growth, innovation and job creation. (paper can be downloaded at this link)
Up to this point, the paper notes, South Korea has become a digital network powerhouse through fierce competition among operators.   The nation's status as the first country in the world to build out nationwide LTE mobile networks is but the latest evidence of this phase in South Korean development.

A couple of other arguments made in the paper were interesting.   For one thing, although it did not invoke the "information superhighway" metaphor, it explicitly drew the comparison between the impact of transportation infrastructure and digital communication networks, presenting the bar chart published here (click to see a full size version of the graphic).  The top bar in the graph represents the duration (15 hours) to drive from Seoul to Busan on.  The second bar represents the time required if driving on the Gyeongbu expressway, and the final two bars show the time required to travel from Seoul to Busan on the original KTX, introduced in 2004 and the newer version of KTX, introduced in 2010.
A second argument in the paper that I found interesting was its conclusion.   It notes that Korea, which began as a network powerhouse, has in recent years neglected this while countries around the globe paid more attention to it.  Therefore, the paper argues, there is a need to pay attention to reducing the gap between Korea and other countries through a range of government investment support.  It suggests the need for government leadership as the nation nears the end of its "network powerhouse" phase.

Korea's continuing lead in speed

I received a message this past week calling my attention to the infographic at the left  (click on the infographic to see a full size version, or go directly to it at this link)  Note that the comparisons of South Korea with the U.S. are on the top quarter or so of the graphic, followed by U.S.-specific information.
This information prompted me to check Akamai's latest State of the Internet quarterly report, for the third quarter of 2012.   It shows that Korea continues to lead the world in its average measured connection speed to the internet, at 14.7 Mbps, followed by Japan and Hong Kong at 10.5 and 9.0 Mbps respectively.  South Korea is also the world leader in what Akamai calls "High Broadband"  with 52% of all connections at a speed greater than 10 Mbps, compared with only 18% of such connections in the United States.
When it comes to internet connections, whether fixed or mobile, speed matters.  However, high speed broadband networks do not simply appear overnight.  Indeed, the building of these new networks is a large, long-term construction project that requires massive funding, planning and leadership.  The larger lesson from this infographic, along with considerable recent research and discussion in policy circles, is that the liberal, U.S. approach to broadband, "let the market and private sector handle it" doesn't seem to work well, when compared with the government-led, long-term ICT policy planning in South Korea.
I've been working over the past several weeks on revision of a conference paper with a Korean colleague that examines the role of government leadership in the ICT sector, so this infographic was a timely reminder that policies and plans, or the lack thereof, ultimately affect the marketplace and consumers.   It also reminded me to appreciate the gigabit network at KAIST and the high download speeds we enjoy here in the Daedok Innopolis.   While Kansas City, Austin Texas and Provo Utah will soon get similar speeds courtesy of Google, over here in South Korea the entire nation will very soon be enjoying a gigabit network.

Google chairman's recent North Korea visit and the "dark side of the digital revolution"

The Wall Street Journal has published an interesting article by Google's Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen, entitled "The Dark Side of the Digital Revolution."   It is based largely on their recent visit to North Korea, and provides an interesting current perspective on the dilemma that the internet and all new digital technologies and networks pose for the North Korean government.  For example, they note that "Even the idea of the Internet has not yet permeated the public's consciousness in North Korea. When foreigners visit, the government stages Internet browsing sessions by having "students" look at pre-downloaded and preapproved content, spending hours (as they did when we were there) scrolling up and down their screens in totalitarian unison." What makes this situation so poignant is that, just south of the DMZ is a society which is arguably more aware of the internet than any other country on earth.  I recommend reading the entire article.