Yoon underlines digital freedom at NYU forum

President Yoon Suk-yeol has emphasized the importance of digital technologies in contributing to the expansion of freedom, a day after he called for collective efforts to decrease the digital gap across the world in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

“We have to gather our wisdom so that digital technologies can contribute to expanding freedom and set up an autonomously and rationally normative system,” said Yoon during his keynote speech at the Digital Vision Forum held by New York University on Wednesday in New York.

The South Korean president stressed the need for fair access to digital data for everyone, adding that all people should be able to utilize digital data to create economic and social values.

Yoon voiced caution against digital transformation efforts that can widen the digital gap to worsen the polarization of countries.

“The digital ecosystem must be open for anyone and all people should be able to enter it and be active in it. I believe that bold support for increasing digital accessibility and convenience should be provided socially and globally,” he said.

Yoon pointed to South Korea’s digital platform government initiatives as the beginning of new welfare that can look after people in need through digital technology, adding that it will open a new chapter of digital democracy.

“As a leading country in the advanced digital era, we will share our achievements with global citizens and people in developing countries. In order to do so, South Korea will precisely establish a digital strategy and gather nationwide efforts to push for it,” he said.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said it will announce a pangovernmental road map for the country’s next step in taking a digital leap before the end of this month. The road map is expected to contain a strong push for digital innovation across the economy, society and government with an aim to secure world-class digital capabilities in artificial intelligence, software and data usage, according to a ministry official.

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)