Contents - Connect-World
Contents - Connect-World
Contents - Connect-World
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National Development<br />
der triggered digital divide has<br />
been narrowed to a certain<br />
extent. However, the age, education<br />
or income-triggered digital<br />
divide remains prevalent and<br />
might be getting even larger.<br />
Figure 1 shows that the digital<br />
divide has increased by 43.2 per<br />
cent using the age benchmark,<br />
43.1 per cent measured by education<br />
and 25.1 per cent by<br />
income group, between 1999 and<br />
2003.<br />
Lately, such factors as age and<br />
educational level tend to play a<br />
larger role in affecting the digital<br />
divide. Figure 2 shows that 94.3<br />
per cent of the population in<br />
their twenties uses the Internet versus<br />
only 14 per cent of people over 50. By<br />
education, 87.7 per cent of those who<br />
graduated from college or higher are<br />
the Internet users versus only 8 per<br />
cent of those who graduated from junior<br />
middle school.<br />
The digital divide that separates handicapped<br />
people from non-handicapped<br />
tends to be larger in Korea<br />
than in the West. In Korea, 27.6 per<br />
cent of the handicapped are the<br />
Internet users, compared with 39.1<br />
per cent in the US, or 36 per cent in<br />
the UK.<br />
The digital divide between the handicapped<br />
people and the non-handicapped<br />
people was estimated at 14.8<br />
per cent in the US and 21 per cent in<br />
the UK, compared with 37.9 per cent<br />
in Korea.<br />
Bridging the digital<br />
divide—policy implementation<br />
Government efforts to bridge<br />
digital divide<br />
Molnar<br />
2002<br />
Selwyn<br />
2002<br />
Van Dijk et al<br />
2003<br />
Kim Mun-jo<br />
2004<br />
IT Accessibility<br />
Gap in IT accessibility<br />
Gap in information access<br />
Mental, material access<br />
Difference of opportunity<br />
Figure 1 Digital Divide Trend 1999 to 2000 based upon Internet adoption rate.<br />
The government drive to bridge the<br />
digital drive has been under way since<br />
1988, when the government kicked off<br />
its computer classes for villages project.<br />
In 1992, the government inaugurated<br />
a regional information project<br />
aimed at narrowing the digital divide.<br />
In the late 1990s, the government gave<br />
these efforts a higher priority.<br />
In 1999, Cyber Korea 21 established<br />
the second-phase basic digital inclusion<br />
plan and bridging the digital<br />
divide was designated as one of the<br />
tasks needed to build a nation that<br />
can make the best use of the computer<br />
in the world. This project had opened<br />
100 IT centres at post offices nationwide<br />
by 2002.<br />
The government also provides assistance<br />
for companies that develop and<br />
market information devices and software<br />
for handicapped people.<br />
In April 2000, the plan to build a<br />
ubiquitous knowledge information<br />
society was established at the fourth<br />
information strategy meeting. Under<br />
the plan:<br />
ˆ Internet education took place at<br />
post offices, social welfare centres and<br />
community libraries;<br />
ˆ PCs were handed out and a five-year<br />
Internet use fee was granted to 50,000<br />
low-income family students;<br />
ˆ Housewives received Internet education;<br />
IT Literacy<br />
Gap in IT literacy<br />
Gap in information use<br />
Skill access<br />
Difference of information<br />
utilisation<br />
Figure 2: Classification of the digital divide’s stages<br />
IT Productivity<br />
Gap in using pattern of<br />
Internet<br />
Gap in utilisation (effects)<br />
Usage access<br />
Difference of information<br />
reception<br />
ˆ A general information website was<br />
opened for the handicapped.<br />
In June 2000, the plan for information<br />
education for 10 million people<br />
was established to provide information<br />
technology (IT) education for the<br />
general public, rural and senior citizens.<br />
In January 2001, the act on bridging<br />
the digital divide was enacted. The act<br />
formalised a comprehensive policy<br />
and a structure, to bridge the digital<br />
divide throughout Korean society. In<br />
September 2001, 14 ministries including<br />
MIC established the comprehensive<br />
plan for narrowing the digital<br />
divide, which instituted cross-ministerial<br />
efforts to bridge the digital divide.<br />
Implementing policy to<br />
bridge the digital divide<br />
Bridging the digital divide means<br />
reducing the gap in information access<br />
between those who live in a big city<br />
and a small one, between those who<br />
are affluent and who are not and<br />
between the handicapped and the<br />
non-handicapped. The policies that<br />
have been implemented so far can be<br />
summed up as: deployment of<br />
Internet broadband access for residents<br />
in villages and small towns,<br />
hand-out of desktops and Internet<br />
devices to those who<br />
cannot afford to buy<br />
them and installation of<br />
Internet access points<br />
in public places.<br />
The government has<br />
financed KT’s (ex-Korea<br />
Telecom) deployment<br />
of broadband networks<br />
since 1999. The government<br />
provided loan<br />
assistance to KT so that<br />
KT could deploy the<br />
broadband Internet<br />
20