He immediately orders staff to remove the food from store shelves.
This is a picture the government has drawn as it plans to introduce a "notice service" via mobile phones and e-mails. According to the plan, it takes minutes for grocery stores nationwide to be informed of illegal foodstuffs. "We are entering the stage of mobile government where one can use administrative services while moving," said Jeong Kuk-hwan, director general in E-government Bureau of the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs.
The Ministry of Information and Communication also provides postal services where recipients are given prior notice of the delivery of express mails and parcels. The ministry said that return have decreased dramatically, thanks to the mobile service.
Civil documents such as certificates of residence and land will be also initially applied by mobile phones and picked up from a vending machine at nearby subway stations or convenience stores. With a budget of 80 billion won, Seoul expects the plan to be realized by September.
Citizens and firms are able to get access to the various government service functions and sources of information through a single window on the government portal as well.
Currently, 400 kinds of documents can be initially applied, 19 can be displayed, and eight can be issued on the Web site.
The government said that 80 percent of civil services involving paper work will be covered online by 2007 as it aims to issue up to 50 kinds of documents via the government-run Web site.
Foreigners also benefit
Expatriates in Korea will also benefit from a comprehensive service program, which the government is putting forward as a way of e-government initiatives. The government will provide facilities for foreigners in sectors such as investment, tourism, employment and immigration via an integrated Web site.
Foreign investors will be able to access investment information in Korea via a single Web portal site. "The investment information is now scattered on several Web sites, including the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency," said Park Sang-hee, an official of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy.
The government will also provide services to make foreigners' life and work easier. For example, the Web site for foreigners can be linked to hospitals or banks, bridging the online services of real-life facilities. Officials said that investment reports will be also done via the portal site.
The immigration process will become easier as e-government is able to use relevant information online through the information sharing system. "As the inconvenience and burden of processing administrative work will be lifted, we expect quick processing to be possible," said Park.
The concrete blueprint involving services for foreigners will be unveiled next month, and foreigners will experience the benefits by 2006 or 2007, government officials said. The program involves the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Labor, with a budget of 3 billion won.
Circulation of electronic documents
Not only services for citizens, but also the administrative work among government bodies, have become more efficient.
Nearly 100 percent of documents were approved and circulated in the form of electronic documents by the first half of last year. The circulation of documents, which used to take two or three days, now takes less than 10 minutes.
In the circulation process, a sender forwards his document to an electronic document distribution center located in government complexes in Seoul and Daejeon, for starters. The center relays it to the corresponding government agency and official.
"A whopping 47 hours have been shortened per each electronic document," said director general Jeong. "The saving costs amount to 128.7 billion won as a whole."
In addition, development of databases for various sectors including residents, vehicles, land, and so on, is providing opportunities to share information resources across governmental bodies to improve efficiency of government operations and deal with quality-of-life issues for citizens.
Jeong said, "The integrated system also enables joint utilization of necessary information whenever needed through the administration networks. In local autonomous bodies, the administrative information system plays the role of 17,700 public officials."
Autor: Jin Hyun-joo
Quelle: The Korea Herald, 28.02.2005
