As part of the country’s drive to leverage on Big Data to inform
policymaking decisions, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT has launched
the “Human Resources for Science and Technology Policy Platform” in
collaboration with the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning on
1st June.
Also known as the HRST Policy Platform or HPP, the Human Resources for Science and Technology Policy Platform
grants public access to a comprehensive database on South Korea’s science and
technology talent policies. According to the the HPP website, the HPP is
designed to be a “evidence
– based integrated portal that provides statistical indicators and qualitative
information on South Korea’s science and technology talent policies to aid
decision-making”.
Data available on the HPP is primarily classified into 3 core
segments: “Statistical Information”, “Current Policy Trends” and “Plans &
Policies related to Science and Technology HR policy”.
“Statistical Information” contains 390 statistical indicators
related to “human resources in science and technology” policy, which are
further classified according to corresponding educational and employment levels such as
college, graduate school, employed/unemployed etc; “Current Policy Trends”
contains information on trends, briefs
and reports and other latest information related to science and technology
human resources policy, as well as provides a simple interface for users to
interpret major domestic and international trends. Key issues and points of
interest concerning science and technology talent policy are also condensed
into briefs and reports for user convenience. “Plans & Policies related to
Science and Technology HR policy” classifies relevant plans and policies
according to technology sector and government department, and is intended to
support the implementation of the “Third Basic Plan for Science and Technology
Human Resource Development and Support” and provide information in the mid and
long-term duration of the plan.
“With
the opening of the Human Resources for Science and Technology Policy Platform,
I hope that this will be the first stop for policy information not only for
policymakers, but the general public as well”, said Kang Byeong-Sam,
Director-General of Science, ICT & Future HR Policy Bureau in a press
release issued by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT.
The establishment of the HPP underscores the South Korean
government’s commitment to upholding and enhancing government accountability
and transparency in policymaking decisions. A
participant of the Open Government Partnership, South Korea has 4 current commitments, one of which — to
“strengthen the accountability of the Seoul Metropolitan Government by sharing
public information in a timely and swift manner” — is further affirmed by the
launch of the HPP.
In addition to boosting government efforts towards stronger
accountability and transparency, the launch of the HPP also represents a step
forward in enhancing the effectiveness of public-private partnerships in South
Korea. Public access to information on the HPP database to aid decision-making provides
avenues for cooperative governance with South Korean civil society, and enables
relevant government bodies to tap on expertise otherwise unavailable within the
ranks of bureaucracy.
Having ranked first in the UN E-government survey conducted by the
United Nations Public Administration Network for 3 consecutive terms, the
launch of the HPP also constitutes part of South Korea’s consistent efforts to
continually improve its e-government services and systems. According to South Korea’s Ministry of the
Interior and Safety, measures like service accessibility, transparency and
efficiency in service delivery underscore the country’s “internationally
renowned e-government systems”. True to its international repute, the HPP is
utilises responsive web design and is optimised for mobile usage so that users
can tap on services provided by the portal even on-the-go.
The Ministry of Science and ICT intends to run the platform on an
iterative basis by monitoring portal usage and releasing pop-up quizzes and other
media until the end of 2018 to further refine usage experience.
Picture credits: http://www.kmdianews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=24433
