RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay (left) and Dr Kim Seang-Tae at the MOU signing ceremony.

Singapore and South Korea have established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to increase opportunities for e-Government collaboration between the two countries. The MOU was signed by Dr Kim Seang-Tae, President, National Information Society Agency (NIA), Republic of Korea, and RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.

The MOU sets the framework for greater cooperation efforts between the two countries to promote further advancements in the delivery of e-Government services in each respective country.

RADM(NS) Tay said, "As the Government CIO, IDA constantly seeks to encourage innovation and the exchange of ideas on e-Government. South Korea and Singapore both share a common goal of delivering ever better services to citizens and businesses in its own country. We hope that such a collaboration will allow both countries to tap on each other's expertise and experiences to propel e-Government service developments to an even higher level."

In his address at the MOU signing ceremony, Dr Kim noted that e-Government was no longer just a tool for supporting administration work, but a fundamental enabler for propelling future growth and for bringing about improvements in productivity and services. Given the important role that ICT plays and the constant changes in the ICT environment, it is important for countries to stay ahead of the ICT curve by pursuing active collaboration across nations.

The partnership between Singapore and South Korea is an example of how governments can work together and enhance mutual cooperation in the area of ICT. “This not only further develops both nations' e-Government standards, but also helps to further enhance e-Government knowledge and experience sharing with other Asian countries," he said.

As part of the agreement, both parties will:

• Collaborate on projects in the area of e-Government,
• Support major workshops and conferences hosted by either country by facilitating the participation of delegates, panel experts and speakers, and
• Exchange information, knowledge and experience in relation to e-Government.

Ms Ko Won Seon, Director of the e-Government Planning Department, NIA, said one of the areas in which South Korea would like to learn from the Singapore experience is that of mobile government, where Singapore has had a head start.

On its part, South Korea has well-developed services in the area of TV-based government, in which public services are delivered through the television set at home. For example, soldiers at their bases are able to “video conference” with their parents using the TV. Such services, which may be delivered via IPTV or cable networks, can be access using the normal television remote control.

The goal, said Ms Ko, is to eventually provide seamless access to public services, with TV-based services for the home, PC-based services in the office and mobile e-Government services for users who are on the move.