Government 3.0 in Korea: A country study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Nam, Taewoo

Affiliations: Department of Public Administration, Sungkyunkwan University, 25-2 Sungkyunkwan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03063, Korea. Tel.:/Fax: +82 2 760 0372; E-mail: namtaewoo@skku.edu

Abstract: Korea has put forth Government 3.0 as a national drive to improve government operations. The incumbent administration's strong pledge for public sector reform through the Government 3.0 drive envisions a transparent, competent, and service-oriented government. The drive has received as much criticism as praise, and has raised the following issues. First, is Government 3.0 in Korea truly novel? The features of Government 3.0 are similar to those of Government 2.0 in other countries, which are based on the interactive potential of Web 2.0. Second, does Government 3.0 create visible outcomes as the achievement of ultimate objectives? Even leading agencies associated with the drive are unclear or confused between regarding its ends and means. Third, does disclosing more information guarantee better results? More disclosure may impose more burdens on public employees in terms of warranting the accuracy of information released and security of information sharing settings. Last, is the drive politically neutral and does it focus on administrative goals? Government 3.0 may be temporary, given the shifts in politics.

Keywords: Government innovation, E-government, Government 2.0, Government 3.0

DOI: 10.3233/IP-160401

Journal: Information Polity, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 411-420, 2016