DBSG - public ambassador for the Korean e-government
This popular teen boy band known as Dong Bang Shin Gi (DBSG or DBSK - in Chinese cultures, TVXO) officially became the public ambassador for the Korean e-government last week.
image from this article (in Korean)
They’re very popular in Korea, and in many Asian countries; they’re probably one of the strongest forces behind the Korean Wave at the moment, music-wise anyway. And no, I don’t know who did their hair.
Korea’s been doing alright in the area of e-governance, regardless of what’s happening in the realm of actual governance and politics. So more accurately, Korea’s been doing alright in terms of e-government readiness. It ranked 5th in the UN’s Global E-government Readiness Report 2005, following USA, Denmark, Sweden, and UK.
South Korea remains one of the world leaders in e-government. Its central services portal, egov.go.kr, continues to offer citizens the opportunity to complete a vast array of government related transactions through several payment options, including digital currency. It also provides a “service cart” similar to the shopping cart feature on e-commerce sites, allowing the user to select, apply for, and pay for several services in one transaction. The site also features the ability for users to register in order to personalize services.
The Republic of Korea is also home to one of the most impressive e-procurement implementations through its continued development of the Government e-Procurement System (GePS) as a single window for public procurement, which provides full integration (www.g2b.go.kr)
– original article here
Having a popular boy band as the public ambassador would definitely have a positive effect on attracting young (in their teens) citizens. I personally think that it would’ve been great if more focus had been placed on senior citizens or even people in ther 40+. These are the people who have to deal with citizenry issues right now, but without much needed education or training to use what’a already there. Young ones, for sure, will naturally learn to use these services when they need to, because it’s simply easier and more convenient for them to go online and ’sort things out’ than going to little and big offices scattered all around the city.
I don’t know. Perhaps this is the government’s attempt at meeting the demand in one of the most desired career sector in Korea right now: public servant. According to the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Korea is currently the 11th largest economy in the world. However, the element of “stability” in career has been probably “the most important” element of consideration ever since the Asian Financial Crisis, when many people suddenly lost their jobs (and their lives, for some). There are people - many older people, including my parents - who are still suffering from the loss/es occurred during that time. And they are suffering without any support - or intention to support - from the government, not only financially but also welfare-wise… well in any way, really. So it really does annoy me that these people are ignored yet again when they are really in need of consideration. Foolishness.
June 16th, 2007 at 11:16 am
우~ 동방신기 오빠들~
June 18th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
yes. you a big fan? ;)
June 28th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Yeah, I take your point that the less tech-savy elderly citizens will be left behind but let’s not replace Dong Bang Shin Gi with a Korean equivalent of Johnny Farnam for the 50 and overs. Maybe two separate ads, one for the young kids who love DBSG and then one for the older crowd who love Dong Bang Farnam and then a final commercial a few weeks later featuring DBSG and Dong Bang Farnam performing a slow, cross-generational ballad? Or maybe i just have no idea about korea and should just leave it to their marketing people?
June 30th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Hmm.. Missy Higgins equivalent may work, I think ;)
December 1st, 2007 at 6:23 am
I think it’s great that they’ve chosen a band who will attract young people to such issues, and in particular, chosen a band which consists of good role models as well, as they work their asses off to do their jobs, unlike many modern celebrities who take their fame and fans for granted and can’t be bothered to do their jobs properly.
Also, I understand your point about older people, but from what I’ve heard, Dong Bang Shin Ki also has a HUGE following in the older female population, who apparently love them for their ‘clean and fresh’ image, etc. I think, by choosing Dong Bang Shin Ki, they’ve found a band who can breach age requirements and attract both the young and old citizens.