Chairman Noh Gyuseong: "Korean-style Digital New Deal Must Be Promoted to Respond to Post-Corona"

Korea Productivity Center to Host CEO Book Club on the 28th

Noh Gyu-seong, Chairman of the Korea Productivity Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheolhyun] Noh Gyuseong, Chairman of the Korea Productivity Center (KPC), emphasized that "a Korean-style Digital New Deal must be promoted to respond to the post-COVID era." On the 28th, at the 'CEO Book Club' held by the Korea Productivity Center at the Seoul Millennium Hilton Hotel, Chairman Noh delivered a lecture on the topic of 'Promoting a Korean-style Digital New Deal to respond to the post-COVID era.'

Chairman Noh stated, "As clearly shown by the COVID-19 crisis, traditional industries are facing worsening management difficulties, while digital companies are growing explosively. The shift to a digital economy is accelerating, including meta products that serve as platforms connecting various services through networks, productization of services, servicification of products, and smart logistics distribution. In the future, most industries will inevitably become digitalized."

He continued, "Digital technology is the core foundation of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, providing new opportunities to create new industries and jobs, as well as opportunities for inclusive growth by solving social problems. Our society faces serious regional imbalances and polarization, and the 'New Deal' is necessary as a solution. Through a 'Digital New Deal' suitable for the current era, we can enhance the competitiveness of the nation and companies," explaining the background behind advocating the Digital New Deal.

Chairman Noh emphasized, "For the successful promotion of the Korean-style Digital New Deal, it is important to clarify the purpose, actors, and methods of the policy," adding, "With the goal of achieving inclusive innovative growth to respond to the post-COVID era, it is necessary to foster strong local companies and advance specialized industries to create new markets and industries in regional hubs. This should be pursued through a hybrid public-private partnership approach where government support and private sector participation work together."

Chairman Noh also said, "The core of the Korean New Deal is the Digital New Deal," and noted, "Our country is recognized as a safe production base thanks to the world-acclaimed K-quarantine. If well prepared in line with the reshoring movement of companies, we can secure the advantages of a global production base location. By inducing the return of anchor companies so that companies within the ecosystem can move together, and by preparing digital infrastructure well, we can enable high value-added digital reshoring and turn this into a great opportunity to attract overseas companies."

He further emphasized, "Our country's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have low productivity, and to improve productivity, digitalization and human management are essential," adding, "In the post-COVID era, our SMEs must promote overall datafication and smartization of management through digital transformation, data-driven decision-making, AI adoption, and active R&D."

The KPC CEO Book Club, first established in 2007, is the nation's premier reading management seminar program now in its 14th year. Since 2016, it has operated a program for in-depth learning of cutting-edge innovation trends applicable to our economy, focusing on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.