IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

The popularity of e-government has seen an unprecedented loosening of purse-strings when it comes to government IT spending – and this has made the role of the CIO in public agencies more important than ever, and more complex.

South Korea has topped a global list ranking countries on their level of ICT access, use and skills, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

In its report released Thursday, the United Nations agency said this is the third time in a row that South Korea has come in first in the ICT Development Index (IDI). The Asian state has the highest percentage of households connected to the Internet at 67 percent, while both mobile broadband and fixed broadband penetration rates were at 84 percent to propel it to the top, it noted.

As Jamaica looks to establish a National Identification System (NIDS), a 12-member government team will leave for South Korea on Friday to study best practices from the Asian country's identification system.

The group will consist of members from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Tax Administration Jamaica, the Registrar General's Department, e-Gov, the Electoral Commission, Office of the Prime Minister, and Jamaica Post.

The island of Jeju, a laid-back tourist getaway 60 miles off the southern coast South Korea's mainland, is becoming known for smart city and green energy projects that are leading the way in the high-tech nation.

"Jeju's smart city infrastructure, experience, and achievements are ahead of any other Korean city," Gov. Won Hee-ryong said in a recent interview with UPI and other media.

As Kenya gears up to step up its smart city game, Korean firms are seeking entry into the Kenyan market to provide smart technologies that can realize sustainable development in smart city construction projects.

The Korea Trade Development Agency (KOTRA) unveiled the Korean Pavilion at the 2023 BIG 5 Construction Roadshow in Kenya, where fifteen trend-setting companies showcased their innovative solutions, promising to bolster Kenya’s aspirations to become the digital and ICT hub of East Africa.

Kenya’s push to actualise a smart city at the Konza Technopolis has gained momentum with the roll-out of four new projects.

The projects, under its second phase, are an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and Integrated Control Centre, the establishment of a Startup Ecosystem, the development of Smart Logistics in Konza and the development of the Konza-Nairobi Corridor Transport Network.

HumanIPO reported last year South Korea, which is considered a global leader in e-government, had signed a similar deal with Kenya’s neighbour Uganda.

This will see the two countries construct at least 5,000 affordable homes in Mavoko and Tatu City.

• The mobility plans are expected to meet the urban functions of the Konza Technopolis.
• The Korean Trade Centre (KOTRA) managing director Eom IK-Hyun said that Korea shared similar interests with Kenya when it comes to Smart Cities.

The government has signed an MoU with the Korean government to foster and promote partnerships and investments in the development of smart cities in the country.

The Korea Trade-Investment and Promotion Agency (KOTRA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of the Economic Innovation Partnership Programme (EIPP) with Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA).

The three-year partnership aims at facilitating the consultation and co-operation between Kenya and South Korea by establishing a master plan for the development of Konza Technopolis Smart City.

South Korea is set to help Cambodia develop its metropolitan areas into so-called smart cities.

Chea Sophara, minister of land management, urban planning and construction, said on Monday that he was due to sign an agreement with his South Korean counterpart this week during a diplomatic visit to the country.

South Korea made a commitment yesterday to help Cambodia develop information technology to improve government services.

Korean Interior Ministry representative Hye Young Kim said at the opening of a Cambodia-Korea E-Government Forum that the Korean government always supported Cambodia in improving digital technology.

Chang See-Jeong, Vice-president of KOICA, is scheduled to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Government Integrated Data Center (GIDC) in Singha Durbar.

On December 10~14, 2012 the Implementation Survey Team headed by the Resident Representative of KOICA Azerbaijan Office Ms. Kim Eun Suk and the working group headed by the Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technologies Mr. Elmir Velizadeh discussed the issues related to the successful implementation of the Project.

According to the ministry, the UN Global E-Government Survey 2004 praised Korea's successful implementation of the integrated e-government system.

The E-government Panel of the government's Innovation and Decentralisation Council has formed a working group to establish guidelines on adoption of open source software.

The Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) is seeking to develop a smart city at an airport site in Peru, laying the groundwork for Korean companies to enter Peru.

The LH announced on Oct. 27 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Peruvian city of Cuzco for the development of smart cities and the overall cooperation in the development of the Astete International Airport site.

The government will expand software-centered information and communication technology (ICT) exports, such as AI and metaverse, and promote market diversification to help domestic companies enter the Middle East, Japan and ASEAN markets as Korea's exports show signs of being impacted considerably by the U.S.-China trade dispute and the global economic downturn, officials said, Monday.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced a strategy to expand the country's high-tech exports by encouraging domestic companies to enter new markets and foster innovative companies in the software sector during a service industry development task force meeting chaired by Choo Kyung-ho, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, and minister of economy and finance.

The European Union named the electronic government of Korea the world’s best in 2010 and 2012. It is an incontrovertible fact that Korea’s electronic government is the best one in the world, said the Korea Information Certificate Authority CEO.