Digital Platform Government Committee Launched... Yoon: "I Felt Like Kennedy Announcing the Moon Project"

"Revolutionizing Citizens' Lives through Digital Democracy"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] "I wonder if President Kennedy felt this way when he announced the Moon project (Apollo lunar exploration program)."

President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed this analogy at the launch ceremony of the Digital Platform Government Committee held at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 2nd, comparing the Digital Platform Government to humanity's challenge of taking the first step into space.

"Please think of the committee members here as those who participated when NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was first established in the U.S. after the Sputnik shock," he urged. The Sputnik shock refers to the great shock and sense of crisis felt by the West, including the U.S., when the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, in October 1957.

He continued, "I still do not fully know how much this will change our society in the future, how much it will transform the government, or what kind of value it will create for Korean society and the world as a strategic industry. However, if you all work hard with the spirit of challenging the moon, I am confident that revolutionary changes will occur," he expressed his expectations.

During his presidential campaign last December, President Yoon pledged to implement a Digital Platform Government that provides customized services based on digital artificial intelligence (AI) technology and big data to meet the complex demands of the people. On this day as well, he defined the Digital Platform Government as "aiming not only for world-class administrative efficiency but also digital democracy where anyone can participate in policy design, and dramatically improving the lives of the people."

He added, "While private platforms provide various services with a single touch, some public services require visiting multiple sites, which is inconvenient. It is not just about upgrading the existing e-government; government data must freely combine with private services to create new value," he urged.

In particular, he said, "The government is not an organization that exercises public authority, but through the Digital Platform Government, citizens also participate in policy design, and if everything such as our welfare system and budget system is transparently disclosed, the public will naturally evaluate it and unreasonable aspects can be corrected."

He further added, "The Digital Platform Government can bring about revolutionary improvements in public services, change unreasonable practices, regulations, and systems, and through big data and AI technology, there will be many changes in the way the government works."

On this day, President Yoon appointed and encouraged 18 field experts from various fields such as digital technology, services, and public administration as private committee members.

The committee members will be divided into six subcommittees: artificial intelligence & data, infrastructure, services, innovation in working methods, industrial ecosystem, and information security, and will work on drawing the blueprint for the Digital Platform Government.

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