South
Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) has recently hosted the 4th Korea –
US ICT Policy Forum on 22 June at the Seoul Lotte Hotel.
Conducted jointly between the MSIT and the United States Department
of State, the Korea-US ICT Policy Forum saw high-level discussion on a range of
ICT-related issues such as international cybersecurity cooperation and 5G
commercialisation policy.
First
launched in 2013, the Korea – US ICT Policy Forum provides a common platform
between the USA and South Korea to not only share technical and policy
expertise in information and communications technology, but also keep mutually
abreast of ICT trends in both countries.
As South Korea continues to push
towards digital transformation, this year’s forum also provided an avenue
to “discuss ways to cooperate for joint
response in the era of the fourth industrial revolution”.
The
4th instalment of the forum was chaired by Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyber
Affairs of the State Department Robert Strayer and MSIT Chief of ICT policy
division Yang Hwan-Jung, and consisted of presentations and projects on the
following 6 themes: ICT policy, international organisation cooperation,
cybersecurity, cross-border flow of information, 5G mobile communication and
artificial intelligence (AI).
At
the inter-ministerial level, the MSIT unveiled the “I-KOREA 4.0 People-
centered 4th Industrial Revolution Response Plan” and announced plans to create
“smart infrastructure” based on the Data-Network-AI framework (DNA) to support
smart technology convergence.
Delegates from the US Department of State shared
policies and regulatory improvement activities that are currently being
pursued, such as digital economy revitalisation and artificial intelligence,
and stressed the importance of policy sharing and coordination between the two
countries.
I-KOREA
4.0 is South Korea’s national blueprint for digital transformation in the 4th
Industrial Revolution. The policy encompasses 4 “I”s — intelligence,
innovation, inclusiveness and interaction — and emphasises 4 core strategies
such as the promotion of “intelligent innovation projects” such as drone
technology and autonomous transportation and
improving quality of life based on “social problem solving”.
A
convergence of technological innovation, industrial change and social welfare,
I-KOREA 4.0 is designed to be a holistic roadmap informing South Korea’s
efforts to address the challenges and opportunities posed by the 4th Industrial
Revolution.
In
addition to mutual sharing of current ICT policy trends, delegates from both countries
also reaffirmed their commitment to promoting “sustainable development for
mankind” via cooperative ICT initiatives in international organisations such as
the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD). By extending cooperation beyond bilateral
efforts, it is hoped that both countries’ sharing ICT expertise will help
foster more transparent global internet governance.
Recognising
the importance of data in the 4th Industrial Revolution, both countries also
pledged to expand the scope of sharing information on ICT threats and
infringements, as well as formulate joint responses to these issues.
The promotion of greater information exchange
between South Korea and the USA and an enhanced level of privacy protection
reaffirms both countries’ endorsement of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) System.
A voluntary system that is
intended to facilitate “privacy-respecting data flows” among APEC economies, the APEC CPBR system is currently administered in the following
six participating economies: USA, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Singapore, and South
Korea.
As a
common platform for mutual sharing, attendees of the Korea-US ICT Policy Forum
also encompass private South Korean and American enterprises who exchanged views on policies regarding the
commercialisation of 5G mobile communications technology.
“Recent socio-economic changes as a result of
new ICT technologies pose challenges that exceed the capacity of individual
countries,” said South Korea’s chief delegate Yang Byung-Jung, who is Director
of Telecom Policy at MSIT.
“I hope that this
forum will create new business opportunities between Korea and the US in the
field of ICT and strengthen the strategic partnership between the two
countries. "