1: I’m absolutely thrilled to launch my new volume with colleague @MikeNelson—“The Korean Way With Data: How the World’s Most Wired Country is Forging a Third Way.” It’s part of our big buildout underway at @CarnegieEndow on technology futures in Asia: carnegieendowment.org/2021/08/17/kor…
2: I’m deeply grateful to @KoreaFoundation for its support of the project, and to our fabulous Korean colleagues: Jang GyeHyun, Lim Jong-in, So Jeong Kim, Nohyoung Park, Sunha Bae, and Kyung Sin “KS” Park. @KoreaFoundUSA.
3. Many argue that the world is fracturing into two spheres—either a Sinocentric or US-centric order. As we move into the next phase of the digital transformation, what was once viewed as a commercial and technological competition is now framed as an existential geopolitical one.
4: But the US and China are not the world’s only major digital players. There has been a proliferation of policy and regulatory models, and international internet governance is up for grabs as countries experiment, innovate, and share their policy experiences and practices.
5: Data governance is one critical area of contention because it is increasingly central to next-generation industries and the future of rulemaking in the global economy. Countries such as South Korea and India have developed distinctive national approaches to data governance.
6: Neither country aims to imitate or adopt wholly American, much less Chinese, data policies and practices. They, too, have the potential to drive debates about technology business models and regulatory frameworks.
7: Korea, in particular, is a digital pacesetter because it is perhaps the world’s most connected country. Indeed, precisely *because* Korea is such a wired country, much can be learned by examining its policies and regulations in more detail.
8: Unfortunately, Korea’s digital policies are still not widely known, partly because little has been written in English about Korea’s distinctive frameworks, standards, and models. Yet Korea has over the past two decades pioneered approaches and accumulated a body of experience.
9: This volume digs deeply into what we call “the Korean way with data.” It explores Korea’s distinctive experiences, successes, failures, and recalibrations. And it aims to address the question of what can and should be learned from innovative Korean policies and practices.
10: The chapters in our new volume illustrate how the Korean government has tried to craft coherent and consistent policies in three important areas related to data: online authentication and data access control; cyber defense and data resilience; and data localization.
11: In each case, Korean policies have evolved by trial and error. Different approaches have been tried. When found to be inadequate, more workable approaches were found. The resulting frameworks could have broad resonance for countries struggling to address these three issues.
12: One reason Korean leadership could be so important is that the bifurcation of the world into a Sinosphere or an American sphere would not serve the interests of most countries. Many countries, even well-established democracies, are developing a hybrid approach.
13: And on data governance, in particular, there has been no putative American-led “Team Democracy” vs. a Chinese- led “Team Autocracy.” The chapters in our volume demonstrate that the future will be *much* more complex than a battle between US- and China-centric approaches.
14: The intensifying US-China battle is leading to trade disputes, restrictions on foreign investment, and, increasingly, bans on the use of foreign web services and apps. Yet countries like Korea have pioneered their own unique approaches to technology governance and regulation.
15: Korea may offer a third way—one that relies on practices and experiences developed and incubated in a successful democracy that has also carved out an important role for the state and sought a balance between public and private interests and state and market-based approaches.
16: In the Introduction, we lay out the parameters of the study and summarize the chapters and findings. We also look at key policy lessons of Korea’s digital experience and Korea’s opportunities amid technology geopolitics: carnegieendowment.org/2021/08/17/int…
17: Online authentication and data access are essential for improving cybersecurity. Korea has seen a process of trial and error and persistent experimentation with various online authentication initiatives: carnegieendowment.org/2021/08/17/tec…
18: Cyber defense and data resilience policies and solutions should be flexible, affordable, and easy-to-use. Korea may have a better way than the one-size-fits-all approaches of other countries: carnegieendowment.org/2021/08/17/kor…
19: Korea could be a model for its trading partners, shaping and harmonizing policies for cross-border data flows. By demonstrating effective data protection measures, Korean firms can earn the trust of both Koreans and foreign companies: carnegieendowment.org/2021/08/17/kor…
20: Because Seoul explicitly favors just three telecoms companies, there has been less vigorous competition and less investment. There are serious adverse consequences to Korea’s efforts to impose interconnection fees: carnegieendowment.org/2021/08/17/aft…
21: I’m thrilled to be launching the project, had a blast doing this with Mike, am grateful to our Korean contributors, and also thank the experts who workshopped the volume with us: carnegieendowment.org/2021/08/17/pro…
22: I’m also excited to launch into Year 2 of this effort, which will explore Korean and Indian approaches comparatively, with the participation of our incredible teammates at @CarnegieIndia.
23: #CarnegieAsia is moving in exciting new directions. And our growing suite of initiatives on Asian technology futures is a huge part of this. We're reaching beyond the usual US-China frame for a much deeper dive into how other tech and digital players are shaping the future.
24: I hope you'll read the volume. We think this is an incredibly exciting and most interesting contribution to the debates on Asia's future. Read here. And return often for even more exciting work from #CarnegieAsia. carnegieendowment.org/programs/asia/
25: We had a fantastic cast of collaborators on this, helping us to dig deeply into the Korean story and bring it to a larger audience in an English-language study. I can't thank them all enough: carnegieendowment.org/2021/08/17/pro…
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