[Test Stand 'Platform Government'③] Digital Platform Government, Which Ministry Will Take Charge?

Digital Platform Government Highlighted as Key National Task by Transition Committee
Concerns Arise Over Inter-Ministerial Conflicts

[Asia Economy Reporters Kum Boryeong, Boo Aeri] It has been revealed that the main ministry responsible for the ‘Digital Platform Government,’ a key pledge made by President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, has not been finalized even by the dissolution day of the Presidential Transition Committee. Since it is included in the national agenda, a ‘firm grip’ is necessary, but concerns are emerging that conflicts between ministries may arise in the early stages of the government as multiple ministries emphasize their leadership roles.

According to the Transition Committee on the 6th, the Digital Platform Government-related tasks are handled by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as well as the Personal Information Protection Commission and the Statistics Korea. Although a task force (TF) was even formed within the Transition Committee, the main ministry has not been selected as of this day.

One of the most likely candidates is the Ministry of Science and ICT, which is in charge of science and ICT. On the 1st, Transition Committee Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo proposed a plan for the Minister of Science and ICT to play the role of a control tower regarding the Digital Platform Government. However, the Transition Committee is reportedly deliberating over the Ministry of Science and ICT because the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which is responsible for e-government, manages public data.

The Digital Platform Government is a policy that President-elect Yoon regarded as highly important, to the extent that it was included in his ‘Top 10 pledges’ during his presidential campaign. It is also listed as item number 11 among the 110 national agenda tasks. The Transition Committee has promised to implement the world’s best Digital Platform Government where all data is connected, offering customized services that take care of citizens automatically, and precise policy effect predictions through AI-based data analysis.

Since the Transition Committee has not designated a main ministry, there is a strong possibility that after the new government’s launch, various ministries will claim responsibility for the Digital Platform Government to produce visible results. A Transition Committee official explained, “Both the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, among others, have voiced that they can do it best as they want to take the lead.”

Experts have expressed concerns about the possibility of the Digital Platform Government being derailed due to future conflicts between ministries. Wi Jeong-hyun, Dean of the Da Vinci Virtual College at Chung-Ang University, said, “One of the reasons why e-government did not work properly in the past was due to conflicts between ministries. The Ministry of Science and ICT should be the main ministry for the Digital Platform Government, but in that case, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety might act uncooperatively in data integration tasks.” In 2004, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs and the Ministry of Information and Communication clashed over the establishment and operation of the pan-government integrated data center. Last year, the Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Communications Commission also competed for leadership regarding the Online Platform Fair Trade Act (Onple Law).

The Transition Committee has left open the option of moving toward a public-private joint committee to draw cooperation from multiple ministries, but even with such a committee, a tug-of-war among ministries to claim the ‘main’ role is expected to continue. The future of the Digital Platform Government is also expected to remain uncertain for the time being, as the presidential office and cabinet appointments must be finalized before the public-private joint committee can be confirmed. A Transition Committee official said, “With issues like ‘complete removal of prosecution’s investigative rights (Geom-su-wan-bak)’ and appointments, I doubt there is room to discuss other matters, so I think the Digital Platform Government will take time. It would be best if it were directly under the president, but if not, it could go under the Prime Minister’s Office, and if that is not possible, the main ministry should be quickly decided and the work should proceed.”