A Look at ICT and Science & Technology Figures Entering the 21st National Assembly

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] In the 21st National Assembly elections, the fortunes of ICT and science and technology figures, including members of the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee (STIBC), diverged. While most senior ruling party members, including STIBC Chairman No Woong-rae, ruling party floor leader candidate Lee Won-wook, and candidate Byun Jae-il, retained their seats, candidates expected to bring expertise such as Yoo Young-min, a former Minister of Science and ICT, and Kim Byung-kwan, who ran representing the gaming industry, were defeated. Unlike the 20th National Assembly, ICT candidates were pushed to lower positions even on the proportional representation list, raising concerns about a shortage of experts.

According to the Central Election Commission on the 16th, the vote count results released that morning showed that among the ruling party members of the STIBC, candidates No Woong-rae, Lee Won-il, Byun Jae-il, Lee Sang-min, and Park Kwang-on of the Democratic Party defeated their opponents and secured seats in the National Assembly. On the opposition side, Park Dae-chul and Park Sung-joong of the United Future Party were listed as elected.

Park Hong-geun (Democratic Party), who served as the ruling party floor leader in the first half of the 20th National Assembly and proposed amendments to the Passenger Transport Act in the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, was also re-elected. The Democratic Party’s candidates Yoon Young-chan, a former vice president of Naver, and Yang Hyang-ja, a former Samsung Electronics executive, were elected in Seongnam Jungwon and Gwangju Seo-gu Eul, respectively.

On the other hand, candidates from the STIBC who failed to return to the National Assembly include Jeong Yong-gi (United Future Party), Chu Hye-sun (Justice Party), Kim Jong-hoon (People’s Party), and Kim Kyung-jin (Independent). Although not from the STIBC, Kim Young-hwan, the youngest former Minister of Science and ICT, Yoo Young-min, the first Minister of Science and ICT under the Moon Jae-in administration, and Yang Moon-seok, a former standing commissioner of the Korea Communications Commission, also failed to secure victory. Kim Byung-kwan, a KAIST alumnus who served on the 4th Industrial Revolution Special Committee, lost to Kim Eun-hye, a former MBC anchor and KT global media strategy executive.

Although many senior members who have led the STIBC survived, compared to the 20th general election, there is an assessment that both constituency and proportional representation seats lack ICT and science and technology experts. According to the Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies, 29 science and technology-related candidates were elected in the 20th general election, including 19 in constituencies and 10 through proportional representation.

At that time, major political parties prioritized ICT experts such as Song Hee-kyung, a former KT executive, on the proportional representation list. Kim Sung-tae, who pushed for real-time search regulation as the opposition floor leader of the STIBC in the 20th National Assembly, and Shin Yong-hyun, the 12th president of the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, were also elected through proportional representation. However, they did not run in this election.

An industry insider said, "Only a few ICT and science and technology proportional representatives will enter through this general election," adding, "There is concern about the lack of experts who can support detailed policies to lead the 4th Industrial Revolution era, including artificial intelligence (AI)."

Among the elected members entering the 21st National Assembly, prominent ICT and science and technology experts include candidate Byun Jae-il, a former vice minister of the Ministry of Information and Communication and former STIBC chairman, and Lee Sang-min, who ran in Daejeon Yuseong. Among proportional representatives, Ryu Ho-jeong, from the gaming industry, enters the National Assembly as the Justice Party’s first candidate. KAIST alumna and female venture entrepreneur Lee Young-eun of the Future Korea Party and Cho Myung-hee, professor of Aerospace Satellite Systems at Kyungpook National University, were elected at proportional representation numbers 13 and 9, respectively. All are expected to be positioned in the STIBC.

Additionally, ruling party candidates Go Min-jung, Song Gap-seok, Jo Oh-seop, and Kim Nam-guk, and opposition candidates Yoon Doo-hyun, Park Sung-joong, Kang Ki-yoon, and Kim Eun-hye are considered candidates likely to enter the STIBC.

The 21st National Assembly, which will be inaugurated soon, faces numerous tasks for the STIBC. There are as many as 763 bills pending from the 20th National Assembly. Issues such as abolishing the telecommunications fee approval system, long criticized as outdated regulation by both ruling and opposition parties, were not properly discussed and reappeared as election pledges. Amendments to the Telecommunications Network Act aimed at resolving discrimination between global companies like Google and domestic internet companies are also stalled.

The combined regulation on paid broadcasting has also not seen follow-up discussions for nearly two years after its sunset. The combined regulation targeting KT limits any one operator from holding more than one-third of the paid broadcasting market share. Last year, domestic telecommunications companies consecutively pursued mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in paid broadcasting, making re-discussion necessary. Additionally, legislation related to the n-room case, which recently shocked the nation, is also considered an urgent issue.

ICT-related pending bills that passed standing committees in the 20th National Assembly, such as the Software Industry Promotion Act amendment, the Electronic Signature Act amendment, and the Basic National Informatization Act amendment, are awaiting review by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. If these bills are not passed in the May session, the last temporary session of the 20th National Assembly, they will be discarded along with other pending bills. In that case, the 21st National Assembly will have to undergo lengthy legislative and deliberation processes again.