New law establishes ICT Control Tower

A new law called the "Special Act on ICT" goes into effect on February 14 and is being widely reported as establishing a "control tower" for national ICT policy.  As reported in The Korea Times," The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) said Wednesday that it will launch an Information Telecommunications Strategy Committee to coordinate information communication and technology (ICT) policies among related ministries from next week. The committee will be comprised of 25 members from state-owned technology institutes and other ministries, including education, trade and finance, according to the MSIP in a statement." In addition to the strategy committee under the Prime Minister's Office, The Korea IT Times reports that a new IT Technology Promotion Center will be formed, in part to deal with the problem of "reverse discrimination" against Korean ICT equipment and parts manufacturers.
Those of you who are interested in the historical background of government leadership in South Korea's ICT sector and the long-running national debate about the need for a "control tower" to guide ICT sector industrial policy may be interested in my article with Professor Jaemin Park which has just appeared in Telecommunications Policy. ( a summary is available here)  It is entitled "From developmental to network state: Government restructuring and ICT-led innovation in Korea," and analyzes developments from 1980 to the present.