"Will the Tiger Come After the Fox Leaves? IT and Telecommunications Industry Concerns Ahead of the 21st National Assembly"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] "Will a tiger come where the fox has left?" As the 21st National Assembly is about to convene, tension is mounting in the ICT industry watching Yeouido. This is due to concerns that regulatory measures will be strengthened rather than promotion amid numerous pending bills essential for leading the 4th Industrial Revolution era. Pressure to reduce communication costs, such as free Wi-Fi, a general election pledge of the Democratic Party of Korea, is also expected to intensify.

According to the National Assembly and related industries on the 17th, fewer than 10 ICT personnel have entered the 21st National Assembly, including incumbent members of the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee (STIBC). Considering the STIBC's composition of around 20 members, it is highly likely that the committee will be filled with lawmakers who have less understanding of the ICT industry rather than those with high expertise.

Aside from the current STIBC members, ICT-related elected officials include Yoon Young-chan (Democratic Party), a former vice president of Naver; Yang Hyang-ja (Democratic Party), a former Samsung Electronics executive; and Kim Eun-hye (United Future Party), who was in charge of KT's global media strategy. Among proportional representatives, there are Lee Young-eun (Future Korea Party), a female venture entrepreneur from KAIST, and Jo Myung-hee (Future Korea Party), a professor of aerospace satellite systems at Kyungpook National University.

◆Number of ICT Expert Elected Officials at Half the Level of the 20th National Assembly = This contrasts with the previous 20th general election, where experts in the science and technology sector totaled 29, including 19 constituency members and 10 proportional representatives. If the STIBC is composed mainly of non-experts, it is highly likely that political disputes over various issues will be repeated rather than legislation to lead the 4th Industrial Revolution era. An industry insider expressed concern, saying, "It is true that there is a lack of experts to support detailed policies leading the 4th Industrial Revolution era, such as artificial intelligence (AI). This should have been supplemented through proportional representation, but even that was overlooked."

On the other hand, there are numerous tasks that need to be addressed based on expertise. There are 763 pending bills in the STIBC that are soon to be discarded. Issues such as abolishing the telecommunications fee approval system, which has been maintained by outdated regulations regardless of party, amending the Information and Communications Network Act to resolve discrimination between global companies like Google and domestic internet companies, and follow-up discussions on paid broadcasting combined regulations have not been properly discussed.

Currently, the industry views the entry of Lee Sang-min, who served as chairman of the party's special committee on science and technology, Song Gap-seok and Jo Oh-seop (all Democratic Party), and Yoon Doo-hyun, Park Sung-joong, and Yang Geum-hee (all United Future Party) into the STIBC as highly likely. They also prioritized the STIBC as their preferred standing committee in responses submitted to the Korea Manifesto Practice Headquarters.

Byun Jae-il (Democratic Party), a former vice minister of the Ministry of Information and Communication and regarded as an expert within the STIBC, listed the STIBC as his third choice but did not include related bills in his legislative activity plan. Lee Won-wook, a senior member and the ruling party's secretary of the STIBC, also preferred other standing committees. On the other hand, first-term lawmakers from the media sector, such as Ko Min-jung, Bae Hyun-jin, and Kim Eun-hye, are likely to enter the STIBC.

◆Industry Concerns over Expansion of Free Wi-Fi, etc. = Going forward, the Democratic Party is expected to strengthen pressure on the telecommunications industry by promoting its first pledge, "expansion of free Wi-Fi." This involves building about 53,000 public Wi-Fi spots nationwide by 2022, allowing free Wi-Fi usage on buses, public buildings, and other places without subscribing to mobile communication products.

No Woong-rae, the current chairman of the STIBC who listed it as his second choice, said, "It can reduce household burdens and expand the 4th Industrial Revolution infrastructure monopolized by telecommunications companies into various fields," including public Wi-Fi-related bills in his future legislative plans. It is expected that pressure campaigns will continue at the STIBC level.

However, considering the decreasing trend in Wi-Fi traffic, there are ongoing debates about its effectiveness. For the telecommunications industry, which is continuing large-scale 5G investments, the additional burden of building Wi-Fi infrastructure could increase difficulties. An industry insider lamented, "The industry's view is that support for nationwide 5G network construction is more necessary than public Wi-Fi."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.