Promote an ‘inventive’ economy based on public data

“Creative economy” has been the keyword since the inauguration of President Park Geun-hye. Government and civilian experts are proposing various ideas and theories on creative economy. I would like to offer an innovative method to realize creative economy based on my experience in policy studies and actual applications.

Most of all, we need a government-wide collaborative governance for creative economy. The Ministry of Future Planning and Science is the leading agency for realization of creative economy, but we need more than science and technology. With the zeitgeist of opening, sharing and cooperation, all government ministries and agencies need to get involved and utilize all available resources.

The administration needs to promote short-term strategy and systems with great social impact in order to induce support of the public. We need policies that can spread success cases and boost confidence among all members of the nation.

We need to pay attention to “promotion of creative economy based on public data,” a prominent example of creative economy with a short-term strategic goal. The Obama administration has been actively promoting opening and utilization of public data since 2008. One example is to allow public data in health care to be utilized by companies, entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations.

By making health care data public, about 300 billion won ($269 million) investments have been made in the month of January alone. That illustrates a short-term strategic task can bring great outcomes by putting in relatively small resources.

Opening, sharing and creative usage of data will surely be core engines in realizing a successful creative economy of the Park Geun-hye administration.

*Kim Seong-tae, President of the National Information Society Agency