ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the struggle between the Korean government and the civil society. It shows how the Korean government has been troubled by the uncompromising purposes of IT-related policies and regulations between efficiency and publicity. The chapter examines the establishment of the Korea communications commission (KCC) in 2008, which was to be an independent regulatory body for the information and communication sectors. It also deals with the revision of media laws in 2009 that allowed big companies and foreign investors to acquire more shares in media industries. In both cases, the Korean government had accelerated institutional arrangements and legislation regarding the new IT-based social communication mechanisms. South Korea has ranked among the top countries in Internet usage and broadband communication technologies. This has been backed up by IT-related hardware industries, which have accounted for one-third of South Korean exports.
