[The Editors' Verdict] The Era of Cross-Government Task Forces

At the beginning of the year, the government announced that it would form and operate three cross-government task forces (TFs) in key digital innovation strategy areas to accelerate digital innovation across the economy and society through inter-agency collaboration. These are the Data Economy TF, Digital Government Innovation TF, and Digital Media Industry TF. They aim to ensure that the effects of digital technological innovations such as D·N·A (Data, Network (5G), AI) bring tangible changes to citizens' lives and the overall economy and industry. Each TF will identify and rapidly advance tasks related to revising subordinate laws following amendments to the three data-related laws and ensuring safe data utilization, innovating government services based on data, and innovating the digital media industry?including content, platforms, and networks?based on data and artificial intelligence.

Here, TF stands for Task Force, originally a military term referring to a specially organized mobile unit assigned a special mission. Nowadays, it refers to a temporary organization established to achieve a specific goal. It is also called a project team. Its main characteristics are: first, it is composed of relevant experts necessary to achieve the goal, regardless of existing organizational structures; second, it is temporary and disbands once certain outcomes are achieved; third, members achieve results by leveraging their knowledge and abilities rather than their official rank or authority. This is similar to the concept of adhocracy, as described by American public administration scholar Alvin W. Gouldner, defined as a heterogeneous group of people with diverse professional knowledge or skills, forming a temporary organizational system highly adaptable to social environmental changes.

The three cross-government TFs operated by the government have the nature of inter-ministerial policy consultative bodies, as related ministries participate according to policy tasks. For example, the Data Economy TF is composed of the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (head), the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT (co-support head), and 13 ministries including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Financial Services Commission. By including ministries responsible for executing various detailed tasks within the policy agenda as members, it is expected to enhance policy coordination and execution capabilities. Additionally, the government has established a Digital Innovation Secretary at the Blue House to coordinate policy tasks emerging from these three TFs.

However, there are some concerns. First, there is worry that such important policies might be prepared too hastily. The government has announced plans to finalize the Data Economy Activation Plan by February and the Digital Media Ecosystem Development Plan by March. It would be fortunate if these plans have already undergone long-term research and review and are now only in the final stages; otherwise, there is concern that existing plans might be re-edited hastily. The urgent approach should be to implement conclusions promptly while allowing sufficient deliberation for less urgent matters. Second, there is a risk of inefficiency due to overlapping coordination roles among the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Office for Government Policy Coordination, with the Digital Innovation Secretary on top, potentially creating a redundant "roof on a roof" structure. In a presidential system, since the president is ultimately the political and administrative decision-maker and responsible party, the Blue House’s coordination authority should be respected and its coordination capacity effectively exercised. Furthermore, roles and responsibilities among coordinating departments should be clearly defined to avoid excessive burdens on executing agencies. Third, it is desirable that, in line with the nature of task forces, various private sector experts participate alongside government officials.

In fact, the three cross-government tasks?Data Economy, Digital Government Innovation, and Digital Media Industry?are nationally significant enough to warrant separate government ministries such as a Data Economy Ministry, Digital Government Innovation Ministry, and Digital Media Ministry. Rather than remaining merely as task forces, consideration should be given to establishing permanent government organizations to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Hopefully, the cross-government TFs will produce tangible results that citizens and businesses can feel.

Seong-Yeop Lee, Professor at Korea University Graduate School of Technology Management and Deputy Director of the Cyber Law Center