Toward E-Government Sustainability: The Information Network Village Project in South Korea

As a nationwide e-government project in South Korea, the Information Network Village project was launched in 2001. It was designed to increase accessibility to e-government services by reducing the digital divide in rural areas and to improve the income level of local residents by boosting regional economy through e-commerce. As of 2007, more than 300 villages are working on- and off-line. Information centers, networked to high-speed Internet, were built in each village. Personal computers were distributed to most households and a website of each village was created to facilitate e-commerce activities. Government reports and evaluation research highlight the performance of the six-year-old project. This chapter revisits, not the performance, but the governance structure, the implementation process, managerial capability, and the administrative value of the project for the purpose of further strengthening its enabler-role in reducing the digital divide and expediting regional development. Policy lessons are summarized to foster the sustainability of e-government projects with consideration of diverse perspectives.