2024 IKS Colloquium: Dr. Younei Soe presents on the digital divide in South Korea
By Lily Natter
Dr. Younei Soe, assistant chair and lecturer of the Information and Library Science (ILS) Department and affiliated faculty for the data science program, was invited by the Institute of Korean Studies (IKS) to present in their colloquium on September 20th, 2024. She delivered her talk, “Examining the Evolving Digital Divide in South Korea: Disparities Among Socially Disadvantaged Groups,” which focused on research she started in the spring of 2024.
Dr. Soe’s research focuses on digital device usage among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in South Korea. The National Information Society Agency (NIA) has identified six of these groups: older adults, people with disabilities, people from low-income backgrounds, agricultural and fishery workers, marriage immigrants, and North Korean refugees. To explore this, she conducted interviews with experts and secondary analyses of reports done by government agencies. This research explored the evolving trend of the digital divide in South Korea; the most notable uses of digital devices in each socioeconomically disadvantaged group; and how usage changes between the different groups.
The digital divide in South Korea is closely related to its social divides, which include differences in class, gender, politics, income, and region. The digital divide is a significant effect of these overarching social divides, and an important policy issue for the South Korean government. The nature of the digital divide has changed as technology has become more integrated into society. When this issue first arose, the biggest issue was access to resources like computers and Wi-Fi; the question was, who has this technology, and who does not? While access is still a key aspect of the digital divide, it has become clear that the ability to use the technology and the user’s perception of their own technological capability are also key aspects. So, other questions have arisen: who can use this technology, and who cannot, and how do different groups utilize technology differently?
The South Korean government has already enacted some programs that address this new issue with digital access. One successful program has been the implementation of Digital Learning Centers, which are both permanent and traveling locations that provide digital literacy education to citizens. This initiative began nationwide in 2020, teaching people Hangul (the Korean alphabet), Excel, Photoshop, video editing, and basic coding. In 2020, they provided a digital education to 428,103 people, and by 2023, the number had risen to 996,439. This type of service is the most popular among groups like older adults, people with disabilities, and multicultural families. Furthermore, it is an encouraging example of a path for lessening the effects of the digital divide.
However, programs like Digital Learning Centers might not address the needs of other groups, such as North Korean refugees and marriage immigrants, which became increasingly interesting to Dr. Soe as she conducted her research. Interestingly, both North Korean refugees and marriage immigrants appear to use digital services in different ways. For example, one notable difference was that North Korean refugees express more of their opinions on social topics online than the general population does, while marriage immigrants use media content and social networking services more actively than the general population. This data could imply information about where these groups feel the most comfortable expressing their opinions and raise questions about why that is. This preliminary research has given Dr. Soe an exciting, more specific direction for future research.