Journey Toward the Development of Effective E-Government: The Case of the Republic of Korea

Choong-Sik Chung
Kyungsung University, South Korea
and
Pan-Suk Kim
Yonsei University, South Korea

After exerting continuous efforts toward e-Government and national informatization, Korea has become one of the world’s e-government leaders, obtaining high scores in the UN’s E-Government Development and E-Participation Indices. In fact, Korea’s ranking on the United Nations’ E-government Development and E-Participation Indices greatly improved, from 15th in 2001 to number one among all UN member states in 2010. The country ranked 1st in 2010, 2012, and 2014. This progression over a relatively short period of time is a rather notable achievement. This study, therefore, investigated the way the Korean government increased its global competitiveness in the area of egovernment. As all related variables could not be examined, the study focused on two issues–namely, national leadership and the development strategies for egovernment initiatives in Korea. Based on the results of the UN E-Government Survey, Korea’s rankings from 2004 to 2014 were reviewed. The Korean Presidents’ leadership and strategies were then considered. The success factors of Korea’s egovernment were shown to include strong political leadership, a clear vision and policy objectives, the project’s strategic priority, and the efficient distribution of resources.