Minister Lim Hye-sook: "Digital Inclusion Society, a Condition for the Success of the Digital New Deal"

Ministry of Science and ICT Holds the 34th Information Culture Month Commemoration Ceremony

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] "If the success of the Digital New Deal is an essential condition for advancing to a developed Korea, then realizing a digitally inclusive society is the condition for its completion."

On the 2nd, Minister Hyesook Lim of the Ministry of Science and ICT stated this at the '34th Information Culture Month Commemoration Ceremony' held at Space Salim in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, urging all sectors of society to cooperate and take action for the transition to a digitally inclusive society.

The event was held in celebration of Information Culture Month in June. The theme of the ceremony was 'Recovery and Leap of Korea, Digital New Deal and Inclusion.' About 30 people attended the ceremony, including Minister Lim Hyesook, Kim Changryong, Standing Commissioner of the Korea Communications Commission, information culture contributors, and companies related to digital inclusion. Lee Wonwook, Chair of the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee of the National Assembly, also sent a congratulatory video message. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the event was broadcast live online in a non-face-to-face format.

The Ministry of Science and ICT selected and awarded government honors to those who contributed to the creation and dissemination of a sound information culture. The Information Culture Merit Medal (Green Stripes Order of Service Merit) was awarded to Professor Soonbeom Lim of the IT Engineering Department at Sookmyung Women's University. Professor Lim has conducted outstanding research over the past 20 years, including developing electronic book readers for the visually impaired and voice command interfaces for people with upper limb disabilities.

The Information Culture Merit Decoration (Order of Service Merit) was awarded to Professor Seokjun Noh of the Department of Education at Sungshin Women's University. Professor Noh has continuously provided policy and academic guidance in the field by preparing various guidelines to ensure information accessibility for people with disabilities and supporting related legal revisions and policy establishment.

The Presidential Citation (6 awards) was given to four contributors, including Yeojiyoung, Open Collaboration Group Leader at SK Telecom, and two organizations. Group Leader Yeojiyoung contributed to the development of inclusive services and the creation of employment opportunities for vulnerable groups, such as training hearing-impaired taxi drivers known for the 'Silent Taxi' and planning the 'Good Shuttle' for commuting of people with severe disabilities.

The Prime Minister's Citation (7 awards) was given to five contributors, including CEO Suwon Cho of Two Art Co., Ltd., and two organizations. CEO Cho developed the AI-based voice guidance app 'Sullivan Plus' for the visually impaired and low vision users, which is currently provided in over 200 countries worldwide.

Immediately after the ceremony, Minister Hyesook Lim chaired a roundtable with participants of the proclamation ceremony for the transition to a digitally inclusive society. Minister Lim said, "The government's role is to support the connection between companies and civil society to create synergy," and added, "We will continue to create opportunities to listen to opinions from the field frequently."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and ICT recently urged participation in an online citizen campaign related to improving information accessibility and alleviating the inconvenience of using kiosks, which have rapidly spread.

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