This article is part 2 to Digital Technologies in the Public Sector — Integrating Digital Transformation.
The current states of affairs in the world’s digital sector is made up of three central variables: Information and communications technology (ICT). ICTs are the set of tools, supports, channels developed and supported by technologies (telecommunications, information technology, programs, computers and the Internet). ICTs allow the acquisition, production, storage, treatment, communication, recording and presentation of information, in the form of voice, images and data, contained in signals of an acoustic, optical or electromagnetic nature in order to improve people’s quality of life.
Within the public sector, in the 1950s South Korea was a purely agricultural country, and after the war with North Korea, a government was instituted, influenced by US financial support, with which a strategic plan was drawn up in periods: In the first period from 1962 to 1966, priority was given to the energy, textile and cement industries; from 1967 to 1971 it was synthetic fibers, petrochemicals and electrical equipment; and from 1972 to 1976 the focus was the steel industry, transportation, electrical appliances and shipbuilding. In these decades the chaebols appeared, which are large industrial and financial conglomerates such as Samsung, Hyundai, Kia, in general they were business groups, protected by state regulations and with remuneration based on results, for investment in the education system, new technologies and awareness of the population, achieving the inclusion of the right to equal education for all citizens: “it must help all citizens to perfect the character of each individual, to develop the capacity for independent living and promote the prosperity of all humans.”
The biggest digital milestones in South Korea are its state electronic purchasing system, the voting system through mobile devices, the optimization of bus routes and the Government platform in which the citizen can review all their information from life: health, pension, finances among others (42 in total). All this information is shared by all entities in a cloud storage system called G-Drive, thus they managed to eliminate the excessive use of servers and computers. 85% of the population has access to digital computerization in 2016, from sensors in homes for the elderly to detect anomalies to a secure map service that is available to the population.
The biggest digital milestones in South Korea are its state electronic purchasing system, the voting system through mobile devices, the optimization of bus routes and the Government platform in which the citizen can review all their information from life: health, pension, finances among others.
The South Korean government’s plans for 2021 include achieving an e-government that uses smart information technologies to build a new
ecosystem, which will allow the government, companies, civic groups and individuals to seek the common good; and that in turn serves as a fulcrum for government innovation and sustainable development. The government seeks to develop and expand its electronic government through AI, robo-advisor, 3D printing and drones that help the development of the intelligent information industry thus creating new jobs.
The South Korean government’s plans for 2021 include achieving an e-government that uses smart information technologies to build a new ecosystem, which will allow the government, companies, civic groups and individuals to seek the common good.
At a global level, we can conclude that two keys to success to transform a country into an economic power are quality education and the development of technological infrastructure. According to the World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends study, countries are investing more in central government administration systems than in government-to-citizen and government-to-business transactional services. As the level of e-government increases according to per capita income, although the gap between high-income countries and low-income countries is smaller for administrative systems, it is higher for online services intended for citizens and companies.
Follow and support Dipossum for more stories like this.
