Essay draft 2

Save The North

Smart appliances such as S5, Note 4 and Tab S are the latest products in Samsung Galaxy series. These technological gadgets are commonly seen in South Korea. However, many North Koreans living in their isolated communist world may not even know the existence of these modern products.

The level of information and communications technology (ICT) in Democratic People’s Republic of  Korea (DPRK) is awfully low, with more than 93% of its population without an access to mobile cellular (“The World Factbook”, 2011). On the other hand, the number of mobile phones in the South is 5% more than the number of South Koreans (Park, 2011).

DPRK’s enterprises and foreign authorities can save the North’s fate of losing out to the South in terms of ICT level by increasing the ICT access and knowledge among the current and future generations of the workforce in DPRK to protect both the ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ sectors of the North.  Due to these devastating impacts of the ICT deficiency, the individuals and the nation are also motivated to increase their access to ICT in DPRK.

The “Micro” and “Macro” losses

As technology advances, the inadequate ICT devices and skills among the workforce of DPRK causes them to ‘lose out’ to the internet-savvy South Koreans. Looking at the ‘micro’ level, the employability of a North Korean worker, who lacks the ICT knowledge, may be lower than that of another South Korean. This is because North Koreans, who cannot catch up with the modern technology to maximise their productivity and profit the company, may not be valued in multi-national companies (MNCs) (“Connecting to Work: How ICTs Are Expanding Job Opportunities Worldwide”, 2013).

The ‘macro’ problem arises when DPRK’s economy is filled with workers who are unequipped with ICT skills. Thus, DPRK faces difficulty in transforming from a labour-based to a skill-based economy and this results in an extremely low Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of USD 1, 800 (“The World Factbook”, 2011). Looking at this broader picture of digital divide, we can see that the lack of ICT has affected DPRK‘s economy negatively, while South Korea’s high-tech industries turn her into a highly developed nation. It is why many individuals and, in fact, the whole DPRK are willing to take a pro-ICT stand ("Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2009-2010", 2010).

Political obstacles and possibilities

Although DPRK’s political restriction over ICT is a big obstacle that creates the digital divide between the two Koreas, Bruce (2012) asserts that it is possible for the communist government to relinquish its control over the flow of information within DPRK as several pro-ICT political attempts have been implemented. According to him, Koryolink, the DPRK’s only 3G mobile operator is “blessed” by the “Dear Leader”, Kim Jong Il. Do (2013) also reports that the current leader, Kim Jong Sung allows the North Koreans catch glimpses of the “outside world” with intranet. These governmental efforts demonstrate DPRK’s willingness to shift its political stance gradually for the economic benefits of ICT. Thus, efforts from the enterprise sectors and foreign powers are possible to carry out and the positive effects of bridging the digital gap by these efforts can further entice the Stalinist government to quicken its steps towards the ICT world.

Local effort-the IT classes

To raise the North Koreans’ labour productivity, local companies in DPRK can provide IT classes for their employees. Companies can collaborate to conduct these cost-effective courses for a larger population of employees by hiring a few IT experts. Such partnership may even flourish the industry of IT classes, which is currently absent in DPRK, to benefit a greater community of North Koreans. These company-funded IT courses impart the relevant ICT knowledge to the employees, who have little interaction with the high-tech devices due to the low GDP per capita. This knowledge on how to operate the computer programmes will help the workers manipulate raw data effectively into useful information for analyse. Thus, we can conclude that these IT classes can increase the North Korean workers’ economic productivity.

International efforts- Student Exchange Programmes and Subsidised ICT products

 

On the other hand, international parties can contribute to reduce the digital gap by providing ICT educational opportunities for the future members of DPRK’s workforce. Just like how foreign internships of Choson Exchange have exposed many North Koreans students to the outside world (“Choson Exchange”, 2014), student exchanges between universities of DPRK and ICT-developed nations can help the students to gain more ICT knowledge while they are in these ICT-advanced environments. However, such programmes may only benefit the rich minority students. Thus, foreign subsidisation of ICT devices for universities in DPRK is another plausible effort. For instance, the South government can cooperate with South Korea’s large MNC, Samsung to sell cheaper tablets to the schools in DPRK. Lee and Hwang (2004) also feel that DPRK’s close neighbour, South Korea, with her financial resources and established ICT infrastructure, is the best foreign power to intervene and boost DPRK’s ICT level. According to them, high-tech companies in the South can also benefit by expanding their market to DPRK. In this way, the future North Korean workforce will be equipped with ICT skills while the South can earn profits from these sales of technological gadgets.

Mission Possible

 

Just like how no one in the 20^th century believes that the Sick Man of Asia will become the second greatest economy in the world in 2010 (McCurry and Kollewe, 2011), not many people believe that bridging the digital divide on Korean peninsula is possible. This is why I feel that contributions from the local businesses and foreign interventions to improve the ICT infrastructure and knowledge among the present and future labour force of DPRK are important. The successful impacts of increasing ICT access in DPRK may convince the North government to take a more ICT-inclined stand. Furthermore, the 'micro' and 'macro' benefits from the access to ICT, in my opinion, encourage individuals and the whole country to hasten their steps towards the digital world. This is a “mission possible” which builds its foundation from the support of the people, the businesses, the nation and the foreign powers.

 

References:

1.       Bruce, S. T. (2012). Information Technology in North Korea: A Double-Edged Sword. Retrieved October 9, 2014, from http://www.jpri.org/publications/workingpapers/wp118.html

2.       Choson Exchange. (2014). Retrieved October 4, 2014, from http://www.chosonexchange.org/mission-and-history/

3.       Connecting to Work: How ICTs Are Expanding Job Opportunities Worldwide. (2013). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/09/10/how-icts-are-expanding-job-opportunities

4.       Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2009-2010. (2010). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=R4u48rbqEe0C&pg=PA232&lpg=PA232&dq=north+korea+ict&source=bl&ots=KpS6864kmH&sig=DbOIoNY8KKKNXRXvw0gNXrLcwDs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iVErVMbuK5TeoATB2oBw&ved=0CFMQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=north%20korea%20ict&f=false

5.       Do, A. M. (2013). As North Korea Opens Up Slowly, the Populace Gets Online Peeks of the Outside World. Retrieved October 9, 2014, from http://www.techinasia.com/north-korea-opens-slowly-populace-online-peeks-world/

6.       Lee, H. J. & Hwang, J. H. (2004). ICT Development in North Korea: Changes and Challenges. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from www.itidjournal.org/index.php/itid/article/download/193/63

7.       McCurry, J. & Kollewe, J. (2011). China overtakes Japan as world's second-largest economy. Retrieved October 4, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/feb/14/china-second-largest-economy

8.       Park, M. C. (2011). Digital Policy of Korea Issues and Challenges. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.eurocpr.org/data/2013/Park_Korea.pdf

9.       The World Factbook. (2012). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html

 

 

 

 

Reader Response 4 (World wakes up to digital divide)

Wakefield (2010) observes that digital divide is becoming a growing concern in the world. In her article, she quotes sources from International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that ranks countries based on their internet connectivity and economic status, to show that the more economically developed countries are the most connected. However, she also discovers that such divide is not only between countries, but also within the geographical boundaries. This opinion is supported by the reports from New America Foundations (NAF) which propose that the internet usage of a developed nation is not proportionately represented as the rural areas tend to have lesser internet access and usage. The author finds that the less developed countries in Europe, which have noticed this trend of unequal usage in their counties, try to increase their overall access to internet of the rural villages by providing Wi-Fi infrastructure to them. This helps some villagers to improve their lives socially, economically and culturally. However, according to Wakefield, there is a fundamental problem that deters the internet usage in the rural areas to rise significantly. The internet usage is too "sophisticated" for many of the uneducated and poor villagers to comprehend and use. This shortcoming of technology has led me to wonder what the possible remedies are and to consider alternatives we can propose to develop a better living environment for all.

 

To ensure that the underprivileged from countries facing the digital divide can also maximise the benefits from the information and communications technology (ICT), it is essential for the governments to provide them with technological education and subsidies for their basic needs so that they can catch up with the rest of the society and the lives of all the people can be improved. These efforts provide these poor with the relevant knowledge needed to fully utilise the technology and their pressing needs of survival so that they can effectively benefit from the ICT access.

I believe that it is important to realise that some people are simply too poor to afford either an access to technology or an education that enables them to use these technologies productively. However, Wakefield seems to neglect this fact when she remarks that broadband connectivity will improve the lives of people if they use it effectively. In fact, standing in the shoes of a poor and uneducated villager who lives in the rural area of an economically less developed country, I feel that technology may not be the best contributing factor to improve the lives of these members of the society. I will not deny the fact that technology is a crucial element that has brought prosperity and improvement in living standards to the people of my nation. Yet, such degree of effective improvement in the standards of living is not guaranteed to everyone in my society and the other countries in the world.

According to the “Hierarchy of Needs” (Maslow, 1943), 'needs' have different degrees and layers. Many poor in the developing countries cannot even afford their basic needs of survival, such as food and housing. Thus, these poor may feel that technology is one of the irrelevant luxurious 'wants' because it creates an even heavier financial burden to their lives. In fact, the article itself reports that Native Americans who live in the 'barren desert' have to pay more for the Wi-Fi access. In addition, the internet also may provide these less privileged ones with information that will not help to improve their standards of living in a direct and effective manner. This is mainly due to the fact that some of these ICT gadgets are simply too expensive for them to use in their daily lives. For instance, telemedicine, which allows patients to receive medical treatment without the need of travelling long distances, is a costly treatment that many poor villagers cannot afford (Hjelm, 2005).


Some disadvantaged members of the highly developed countries, such as Singapore and America, also have similar financial troubles too. This is because that income disparity is a serious problem in these nations. Despite the high Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, many poor families in Singapore still struggle with their basic needs. However, the Singapore government helps this group of people to catch up with the rest of the society by providing them with financial aids and means to obtain the essential knowledge of using ICT. This helps the people to find such technology less alien to comprehend.

 

Government-subsidised housing, education and healthcare services are examples of the financial aids that the Singapore government  provides for the less privileged members of the society to meet their fundamental needs. After their basic needs are well taken care of, the people can be educated in ICT with the help from the policies and projects implemented by Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communications and Information. The poor can learn how to operate the computer in IT classes provided in Community Centres (CC) while the young can learn the important technological skill in their educational institutions. Almost all government schools have an E-Learning Day, which requires students to complete their academic work entirely online. One of the significances of this programme is to showcase the schools' effectiveness in imparting IT knowledge to students. Other than the programmes provided by the ministries of Singapore government, the ruling authority also cooperates with the National Library Board to offer low-cost IT courses for the less educated elderly so that they can be more actively involved in the digital world too. These pro-ICT efforts will help the less advantaged members of the society to gain more knowledge and broaden their horizons.

 

After their basic needs are well taken care of, the people can be educated in ICT with the help from the policies and projects implemented by Ministry of Education and Ministry of Communications and Information. The poor can learn how to operate the computer in IT classes provided in Community Centres (CC) while the young can learn the important technological skill in their educational institutions. Almost all government schools have an E-Learning Day, which requires students to complete their academic work entirely online. One of the significances of this programme is to showcase the schools' effectiveness in imparting IT knowledge to students. Other than the programmes provided by the ministries of Singapore government, the ruling authority also cooperates with the National Library Board to offer low-cost IT courses for the less educated elderly so that they can be more actively involved in the digital world too. These pro-ICT efforts will help the less advantaged members of the society to gain more knowledge and broaden their horizons.

Though this system is not perfect in allowing all citizens to have an access to the technology, it shows that the authority has taken note of the priority of needs and wants of the people to devise appropriate projects that benefit them. Although the access to ICT may not be the top priority of the less privileged members of the society, I agree with Wakefield’s view about effective usage of internet will improve the people’s quality of life.   This is probably why the government has put in so much effort in implementing these programmes in Singapore. With these schemes, the poor will not be left out in terms technological benefit after their basic needs have been well taken care of.

 

 

References:

1.    Hjelm, N. M. (2005). Benefits and drawbacks of telemedicine. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 11 (2), 60-70

 

2.    Maslow, A.H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50 (4), 370–96. Retrieved September 10, 2014, from http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm

 

3.    Wakefield, J. (2010). World wakes up to digital divide. Retrieved September 10, 2014, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8568681.stm

Essay draft 1

S5, Note 4 and Tab S are all parts of the latest products of Samsung Galaxy series. These technological gadgets are commonly seen in everyday lives of the people in South Korea. However, many North Koreans living in their isolated communist world may not even know the existence of these modern ICT products. The ICT level in North Korea is awfully low; not more than 7% of the population has the access to the mobile cellular (“The World Factbook”, 2011). On the other hand, the number of mobile phones in the South is 105% of its population (Park, 2011). This illustrates a huge distinction between the access to ICT in North Korea and South Korea. Also, we can infer that a large percentage of the workforce in North Korea has limited knowledge of ICT, as compared to South Korea. Thus, the local and international efforts have to contribute to increase the access to ICT among the current and future generations of workforce in North Korea, so that the ICT level among the labour force in North Korea can catch up with South Korea’s workforce as soon as possible, or the digital gap between the North and the South will continue to widen, and detriment both the ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ sectors of North Korea. Such devastating impacts are the main push factors to increase the access to ICT in North Korea.

As technology advances, the inadequate ICT devices and skills among the workforce of North Korea results in the North Koreans ‘losing out’ to the internet-savvy South Koreans. Looking at the ‘micro’ level, when a North Korean worker lacks the ICT knowledge and experience, he may be in a disadvantaged position in this globalised world when he is compare to a South Korean who is well-equipped with knowledge of technology. As the world becomes more interconnected, labour mobility becomes a common international phenomenon, and many talents from developing countries leave their home country for a better future. However, these talents may not be valued if they cannot catch up with the modern technology as they will not be able to maximise their productivity to profit the company (“Connecting to Work: How ICTs Are Expanding Job Opportunities Worldwide”, 2013). This may hinder the employability of the North Koreans who are deficient of ICT skills.  This problem of huge quantities of workers without sufficient ICT skills will lead to the ‘macro’ problem in the country. When the economy is largely comprised of workers who have little or no knowledge in ICT, it will be difficult for the country to transform from a labour-based to a skill-based economy. One of the likely impacts of this failure of transforming the nature of economy is low Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita.  This is evidently seen in North Korea, which has an extremely low GDP per capita of USD 1, 800 (“The World Factbook”, 2011) that have adversely impacted the living standards of the North Koreans. On the other hand, South Korea’s economy is largely formed by the high-tech industries that prosper the nation and allow the citizens to live with high quality of life. Looking at this broader picture, we can see that the lack of ICT will affect North Korea’s economy and society adversely, while South Korea makes use of ICT to rise in status and becomes one of the most developed nations in the world. Digital divide on the Korean peninsula has caused more harm to North Korea than we think as the economic and social gaps between the two nations are greatly attributed by this digital gap. It is not surprising that many individuals and, in fact, the whole nation do advocate a pro-ICT stance in one way or the other ("Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2009-2010", 2010).

Before I begin introducing my proposed solutions to narrow the digital divide on Korean peninsula, I think that there is a need to explain the background of North Korea to clear the doubts that many of us will have when we first think of this country. The political restriction over ICT in the North is one of the two biggest obstacles that creates and widens the digital divide between the working populations of the two Koreas. The best remedy to bridge the digital gap will be the communist government relinquishing its control over the flow of information within its national boundary. I once, like many others, felt that this ideal situation is not likely to happen and the communist nation will take forever to increase their workforce’s access to ICT, as long as the Kim family does not step down from the political stage in North Korea. However, Beal (2009) proves that it is not a “mission impossible” for North Korea to increase the ICT level within the nation. According to him, the communist leader, Kim Jong Il, has a glamorous ambition of leading North Korea to defeat the other competitors in the auto-industry. Hence, the political leader of this “reclusive” country is “clearly wide open to those with the latest technology” ('Prospects good for unification? Think again, says one scholar', 2002). Furthermore, Hunter (2001) reports that Kim Jong Il, for the future benefits of North Korea, wants his country to maintain a harmonious relation with the USA and South Korea. We can infer that the communist North Korea is willing to forgo part of her political stance for the economic benefits that can be generated from ICT. Although I will not deny the current policies of the North are not going to change in the near future, we should not wipe out the possibility of North Korea revising its political goals in the long term future.

Presently, the most practical solution that the non-government parties can provide is probably a focused effort by the private enterprise to increase the access to ICT among the working population in North Korea.  The huge economic gap on Korean peninsula is the second biggest problem that causes the digital division. North Korea has one of the lowest GDP per capita of USD 1, 800 in the world while South Korea is one of the most affluent countries with a high GDP per capita of USD 25, 977 (“GDP per capita(current US$)”, 2014). These figures provide evidence how the North’s low economic growth worsens the digital gap between the two closely related countries. Most workers of North Korea have financial difficulty in affording the access to ICT as they are living in poverty, while the South Koreans have greater financial ability to engage themselves in the digital world.

To ensure that the North Koreans will not lose out to the South Koreans in terms of the labour productivity and efficiency, local companies in North Korea can make a difference in narrowing the digital divide on the Korean peninsula by providing IT classes and technological gadgets to their employees. Such efforts provide the labour force of the economic developing country a channel to make use of digital technology in their work as many of them have little chance to have an access to such technology due to their lack of financial resources. Technological instruments, such as desktop computers and PC tablets, and computer software can analyse data more productively than tedious manual calculation. The Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet is a good example that shows that people can manipulate the raw data into useful information for analysis more efficiently. However, without a basic knowledge on ICT, such helpful tool will not be much use to accomplish the work effectively. Thus, company-funded IT courses are essential to impart the relevant and useful knowledge of using these technological gadgets and software to the employees, who have little or no interaction with the high-tech devices. We can conclude that ICT equipment and classes provided by the domestic firms will allow more North Koreans, who are ignorant of the technology, to have an access to ICT that connects to the outside world and bring more economic benefits to the country.

Other than the local efforts from the private enterprise to solve the lack of ICT skills among the current workforce in North Korea, international efforts can bridge the future digital divide between the North and the South by providing educational opportunities of ICT for the youths in North Korea, the members of the workforce ten years down the road. One possible solution is the establishment of student exchange programmes between universities of North and South Koreas. These programmes will provide the North Korea students opportunities to learn the ICT culture and knowledge while in South Korea. However, such programmes may only benefit a small minority of students who can afford the exchange programmes. Thus, another plausible effort that South Korea and other countries can employ is the subsidisation of ICT infrastructure and devices for the students in the North. For instance, the South Korea government can collaborate with the large multi-national company (MNC) of South Korea, Samsung to sell cheap subsidised computers and other technological gadgets to the schools in North Korea. Lee and Hwang (2004) agreed with my proposed solutions as they feel that North Korea is able to increase their national ICT level with the help of their close neighbour, South Korea, who has abundance financial resources and established ICT infrastructure. The increasing of the access to ICT among the working population of North Korea is more possible if the South can lend the North a helping hand which can benefits both parties. When the South establishes more connections and ties with their neighbouring country, this interaction and two-ways communication will allow the South to expand their market and pool of human resources from the North. In this way, the future North Korean workforce will be able to be equipped with ICT skills and have an opportunity to interact with their South companions.

‘North Koreans will be trapped in the economic turmoil forever and never be able to rise to power like their neighbour, the technology-savvy South Korea.’ Many believe that it is not possible for the restricted North Koreans to break free their political and economic chains that forbid them to connect to the outside world. However, many experts studying in this field, including Lee and Hwang (2004) think otherwise. They assert that increasing the ICT level in the North and to bridge the digital gap between the two Koreas is not a dream, as long as help from the local private enterprises and international efforts are provided to improve the ICT infrastructure and knowledgeable among the present and future labour force of North Korea. Furthermore, the 'micro' and 'macro' benefits of gaining an access to ICT, in my opinion, are powerful motivators that push individuals and the whole country to hasten their steps towards the digital world.

 

References:

1.       The World Factbook. (2012). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html

2.       Park, M.C. (2011). Digital Policy of Korea Issues and Challenges. Retrieved Setember 30, 2014, from http://www.eurocpr.org/data/2013/Park_Korea.pdf

3.       Connecting to Work: How ICTs Are Expanding Job Opportunities Worldwide. (2013). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/09/10/how-icts-are-expanding-job-opportunities

 

4.     Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2009-2010. (2010). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=R4u48rbqEe0C&pg=PA232&lpg=PA232&dq=north+korea+ict&source=bl&ots=KpS6864kmH&sig=DbOIoNY8KKKNXRXvw0gNXrLcwDs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iVErVMbuK5TeoATB2oBw&ved=0CFMQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=north%20korea%20ict&f=false

5.      Beal, T. (2009). Digital Divide on the Korean Peninsula: Constructive Engagement Offers Solutions. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.icasinc.org/2002/2002l/2002ltxb.html

6.       Prospects good for unification? Think again, says one scholar. (2002). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from
http://english.joins.com/nk/article.asp?aid=20011212165051&sid=F00

7.       Hunter, H. L. (2001). North Korea: Dreaming of High-Tech -- Subsisting on Hand-Outs. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.icasinc.org/s2001/s2001hlh.html

8.       GDP per capita(current US$). (2014). Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD

9.       Lee, H. J. & Hwang, J. H. (2004). ICT Development in North Korea: Changes and Challenges. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from www.itidjournal.org/index.php/itid/article/download/193/63