Prospects and Limitations of The E-Government Initiative in Korea

This paper examines the on-going process of the e-government initiative in Korea (EGK), which started in February 2001 and - was implemented by October 2002. The EGK is an agenda propelled by the President’s determination and leadership. Scrutinized for three months after its formulation, the Presidential Committee of E-Government in Korea finally selected eleven projects among agencies with interconnected business processes and coordinated them oriented to a single window portal by strengthening a government-wide information-sharing center. The EGK will deliver government services to anyone at any time in any place. It consists of four government-to-citizen and government-to-business services in the front office, four government-to-government services in the back office, and three infrastructure projects for e-government. Top-down and supply-side approaches, which are typical in mega-projects in Korea, are applied to the development and deployment of e-government services. Those approaches can contribute to implementing e-government services to citizens within the stated timeframe. They are expected to enhance government officials’ responsiveness to citizens and the efficiency and effectiveness of public administration, which will result in fundamental changes in public service. These approaches, too, may create some unexpected weaknesses that prove a deterrent to mature e-government. It is desirable to have a well-prepared post-implementation plan.