United Nations Public Service Awards Case Studies

In the 21st Century, the information gap is one of the most urgent things to address since it has widened the gap between the rich and poor. Seoul has also encountered this problem since the emergence of knowledge-based society: those who cannot have access to computers, not to mention the internet, due to financial or physical restrictions are easily alienated from the society. For instance, the penetration rate of the internet in underprivileged households in Korea is only 48.4 percent, whereas the rate in total Korean households accounts for 74.8 percent as of 2006, which is almost 25 percent gap between two groups of the households. Therefore, such digital-divide has become serious social problem which requires Seoul to take a prompt action.

The Information System Planning Bureau (ISPB) of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has made an effort in narrowing the digital-divide by implementing different measures. For example, the SMG has distributed secondhand desktop computers to those with less privilege, but mere distribution of the computers hasn’t been a very effective solution. Thus, more detailed measures were required in collaboration with diverse private companies concerned so that recipients of those computers could get not only computers per se but repair services and relevant trainings. This is the point where the SMG has begun its brand new initiative named ‘IT Seoul, we share hope.’

What is the initiative about? (the solution)
In order to maximise both quantitative and qualitative effects of ‘IT Seoul, we share hope,’ the first step the Information System Planning Bureau (ISPB) took was to open a bank account, an official account for those who wish to donate money for distributing computers or for the internet access fees for the poor. The next action that the ISPB has taken under the initiative ‘IT Seoul, we share hope’ was to organise an after-distribution service team. The team members consist of staff from computer companies and voluntary technicians from the Seoul Volunteer Centre, taking charge of checking and repairing the computers distributed. Moreover, the ISPB has also made a use of Seoul administrative supporters, volunteer college students recruited by the SMG. Among them, the ISPB selected students who major in IT related subjects as IT supporters, and assigned them tasks, including answering various questions about computers from enquirers. Under the initiative, the ISPB has also provided free IT training programs, including online lectures for women and children, as one of informatisation education programs for the citizens. Active promotion is another thing that the ISPB has been doing to maximise the effect of the initiative: advertising through the internet portals, posting bills in means of transportation such as subway trains, and above all, the SMG opened the website which displays all the activities of ‘IT Seoul, we share hope’ (ithope.seoul.go.kr). Apart from the official charity account for the initiative, the ISPB launched an online charity that enables Seoul citizens to donate points they have accumulated by participating various activities through the SMG website. In addition, the SMG established different committees, including the Committee on Narrowing the Digital-Divide and the Steering Committee, so as to enhance services of ‘IT Seoul, we share hope.’ As for benefits brought by implementing ‘IT Seoul, we share hope,’ the SMG has been able to contribute towards decreasing the digital-divide by encouraging the citizens’ participation in aforementioned donations. By the year of 2008, a total of 3,000 computers will be distributed to the disadvantaged in partnership with private companies, including Samsung SDS, LG CNS and Woori Bank.

Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The Information System Planning Bureau (ISPB) of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) made a proposal to build up a joint network with the Community Chest Korea and other private organisations so as to upgrade existent SMG’s project on distributing secondhand computers with the purpose of decreasing the information gap. Participating private organisations in ‘IT Seoul, we share hope’ include the Community Chest Korea and Media Daum, a local internet portal service provider. As for the SMG, the government has been in charge of planning and supervising whole project of ‘IT Seoul, we share hope’ by distributing secondhand desktop computers, providing informatisation education and after-distribution service and promoting the initiative to the citizens. In the foregoing joint cooperation with the SMG, the Community Chest Korea takes a role in accepting and allotting donated items and issuing receipts for the items, whilst the internet portal Daum takes a part of promotion functions for the initiative by creating PR web pages, banners, and so on. Meanwhile a local telecommunication firm KT and Seoul Volunteer Centre provide IT education programs and volunteer workers respectively. Lastly, three autonomous Gu (district) offices of the SMG, namely Guro-gu, Gangdong-gu, and Gangbuk-go, have been designated to operate individual projects to counter the digital-divide.

Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
a. What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The objective of this initiative is to create friendly digital-society through distributing or sharing IT related items and contents to narrow the information gap in the Korean society. In order to achieve such goal, the SMG has adopted following strategies: - to form a social consensus by rolling out public campaigns under a joint cooperation with private and government sector - to help the underprivileged to access the information society easily by providing secondhand computers and repair services - to enhance underprivileged people’s capacity in utilising information - to let three district offices of the SMG operate pilot programs under the framework of ‘IT Seoul, we share hope’ so as to figure out as to whether or not the project is suitable for different people in varied localities in Seoul - to form a taskforce team within the Information System Planning Bureau to produce appropriate strategies on each job involved.

b. What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
Main development item for this initiative was to build up a joint network that comprises private companies and government agencies, including the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), the Community Chest Korea, autonomous district offices of Seoul and Seoul Volunteer Centre. In December 2007, the SMG held a ceremony to announce the establishment of the joint network along with the opening of an official website of ‘IT Seoul, we share hope.’ As for the implementation steps, the SMG will focus on distributing computers and other IT related items to mainly social welfare organisations by the first half of the year 2008. And then, the government will expand the service to individual citizens, particularly social allowance recipients, by the second half of the year. In the meantime, the SMG will continuously try its best to narrow the digital-divide by distribution of the computers, working together with private companies and the citizens.

c. What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
In accordance with the Public Offices Elections Law, local autonomous governments inclusive of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) are banned from complimentary distribution to the public. Put it another way, the SMG had to deal with such legal restriction to process each phase of ‘IT Seoul, we share hope.’ What Seoul has done to overcome it was to have a partnership with the Community Chest Korea, one of the most prestigious social chest organisations in Korea, so that the initiative could be delivered under a joint program. Furthermore, the SMG had to have a good supply of secondhand desktop computers, a primary thing to make sure for successful initiative. Thus, the government brought private companies over to participate in ‘IT Seoul, we share hope’ by persuading the companies of the significance of the initiative.

d. What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
In terms of technical and human resources, the Information System Planning Bureau (ISPB) has expanded the function of Seoul PC Repair Centre, which has been operated by the Bureau. And the ISPB formed a PC repair team that is made of technicians from local computer companies, the SMG employees as well as volunteer college students who are specialised in IT knowledge. In addition, the SMG has expanded online education programs which have been provided in ten district offices in Seoul only to all district offices in order to enhance the citizens’ capability in utilising information. New training program for IT volunteers have also prepared to foster more competent volunteer workers.

Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
‘IT Seoul, we share hope’ is transferable to any agencies of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) as well as those of entire Korea, and further, to any overseas public agencies. The sustainability of ‘IT Seoul, we share hope’ is positive as the SMG will continue operating the initiative in more structured way, and as a civil awareness on the seriousness of the digital-divide has become larger and deeper, the government will lead the way to narrow such gap amongst members of our society.

What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
Through the operation of ‘IT Seoul, we share hope,’ the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and the Information System Planning Bureau (ISPB) have learnt lesson that it is not an impossible task to eliminate any social disparity if the government and the private sector work together with civil participation.


Institution Name:		Information System Planning Bureau, Seoul Metropolitan Government
Institution Type:		Government Department
Contact Person:		Jeeyoung Kim
Title:		Liaison Officer
Telephone/ Fax:		82 2 6361 3116
Institution's / Project's Website:		82 2 3707 9189
E-mail:		jeeyoung@seoul.go.kr
Address:		Information System Planning Bureau, Seoul Metropolitan Government, 31, Taepyung-Ro 1 Ga, Chung-Gu
Postal Code:		100-744
City:		Seoul
State/Province:
Country:

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

Actors and Stakeholders

(a) Strategies

(b) Implementation

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

(d) Use of Resources

Sustainability and Transferability

Lessons Learned

Contact Information