Choi Ki-young "Creating 900,000 Jobs through the Digital New Deal" (Comprehensive)

Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT is holding a briefing on leading the digital transformation after COVID-19 under the Digital New Deal at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 15th. From the left, Kim Heon-ju, Director of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare; Yoon Jong-in, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety; Minister Choi; Park Sun-ho, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; and Kwon Dae-su, Director of Small Business Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Choi Ki-young, Minister of Science and ICT (photo), held a briefing on the Digital New Deal at the Seoul Government Complex on the 15th and stated, "We will lay the foundation to transform into a leading economy with tangible results that the public can feel. We will create 903,000 jobs by 2025."

Minister Choi emphasized, "The structural transformation of the economy and society, such as the spread of non-face-to-face interactions and the acceleration of digital transformation due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), reaffirms the importance of digital capabilities," adding, "We are starting a bold challenge to overcome the current economic crisis with the Digital New Deal and lead the future society." The Ministry of Science and ICT expects that 390,000 jobs will be created by 2022 and about 900,000 jobs by 2025 through the Digital New Deal projects.

The following is a Q&A session between Minister Choi Ki-young and briefing participants including the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Health and Medical Policy Officer of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Small Business Policy Officer of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Future Education Planning Director of the Ministry of Education, and reporters.

▲This announcement includes a tax credit for early investment in 5G network construction. The industry is hoping for a larger increase in the tax credit. What is your view?

-We are currently discussing this with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and other related departments. The discussion is aimed at reducing the burden on companies. Since there are various issues such as national fiscal matters, it is a bit early to provide detailed information.

▲How do you view the issue of job losses due to digital transformation?

-Job creation results are derived considering data such as employment inducement coefficients. The Korean New Deal includes re-education and lifelong education for job transitions related to jobs that disappear. Even before COVID-19, digital transformation was occurring due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The acceleration caused by the shift to a non-face-to-face society will have a significant impact. We are making our best efforts to ensure that job transitions occur as much as possible to minimize the shock.

▲There are concerns that the online education infrastructure project could deepen educational disparities.

-Regarding the creation of educational infrastructure, we are planning and working on the distribution of internet, Wi-Fi, and digital devices. Our position is to use this opportunity to close the gap. The government is aware of the potential for educational disparities and has introduced an Edutech mentoring project in this supplementary budget. Additionally, each education office is devising support projects to address these issues.

▲There is a problem that digital exclusion accelerates with digital transformation.

-The government, including the Ministry of Science and ICT, has been attentive to digital inclusion policies. We are promoting education and device distribution for the digitally marginalized. Regarding education, we are currently planning to utilize living SOC centers, community centers, and libraries for education. An announcement related to safety net areas will be made soon. The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Health and Welfare will take the lead in providing detailed information at that time.

▲There are concerns that opening public data might inadvertently leak information abroad.

-We are internally considering this issue. It is not only a problem between foreign countries and domestic ones but also a corporate issue. Companies invest effort to create data, and if it is opened and shared, problems may arise during the process. Considering this, we are trying to find a direction that minimizes issues. Our basic direction is to open data that does not cause problems as much as possible and to create an atmosphere where anyone can access data and generate new industries.