By Kim Tae-jong
Who came up with the name Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning in Korean?
Who translated it into English?
Both should be held responsible for confusion they have created over the highlight of President Park Geun-hye's government reorganization.
Already, the ministry has been under fire for its Korean name. If translated literally, it should have been called the "Future creation and science ministry."
Lawmakers of ruling and opposition parties are, joined by scholars, asking what the ministry wants to "create." That was after the brouhaha from evolutionists openly suspecting that the Park government was taking sides with creationists.
Some in the Saenuri Party and Park's aides argue that the creative economy represented by the ministry aims to make for additional value through convergence, and to promote the growth of small and medium firms so as to wean the nation from its unhealthy reliance on a few big conglomerates.
Unfortunately, there are other interpretations. Its English translation is conspicuous by the absence of "creative" in its Korean original.
Also the rest of the name includes an unfamiliar initials — ICT.
They stand for information communications technology but it's anybody's guess why the more commonly-used IT or information technology was not used in the first place. Maybe, it is the influence of scholars Park preferred to hire for her government.
At any rate, the ICT is not spelled out in the ministry's name.
"Most people would know what IT means, but ICT is something different. I don't think ICT has any meaning," said Bryan Hopkins, a professor at Sejong University's Graduate School of Business. "Obviously, IT people would know what it is."
"It's too early to tell right now whether they will be successful in the future. But I think they first have to justify why they created the new ministry. I don't know whether they've been doing a good job in explaining why," Hopkins said.
The creative economy concept was presented as a campaign pledge in October by then presidential candidate Park. In her inaugural address, she defined a creative economy as the "convergence of science and technology with industry and the blossoming of creativity in the very borders that were once permeated by barriers. It is about going beyond the rudimentary expansion of existing markets and creating new markets and new jobs by building on the bedrock of convergence."
Do you understand what this means? If you don't, don't blame yourself because you are not alone.
Who came up with the name Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning in Korean?
Who translated it into English?
Both should be held responsible for confusion they have created over the highlight of President Park Geun-hye's government reorganization.
Already, the ministry has been under fire for its Korean name. If translated literally, it should have been called the "Future creation and science ministry."
Lawmakers of ruling and opposition parties are, joined by scholars, asking what the ministry wants to "create." That was after the brouhaha from evolutionists openly suspecting that the Park government was taking sides with creationists.
Some in the Saenuri Party and Park's aides argue that the creative economy represented by the ministry aims to make for additional value through convergence, and to promote the growth of small and medium firms so as to wean the nation from its unhealthy reliance on a few big conglomerates.
Unfortunately, there are other interpretations. Its English translation is conspicuous by the absence of "creative" in its Korean original.
Also the rest of the name includes an unfamiliar initials — ICT.
They stand for information communications technology but it's anybody's guess why the more commonly-used IT or information technology was not used in the first place. Maybe, it is the influence of scholars Park preferred to hire for her government.
At any rate, the ICT is not spelled out in the ministry's name.
"Most people would know what IT means, but ICT is something different. I don't think ICT has any meaning," said Bryan Hopkins, a professor at Sejong University's Graduate School of Business. "Obviously, IT people would know what it is."
"It's too early to tell right now whether they will be successful in the future. But I think they first have to justify why they created the new ministry. I don't know whether they've been doing a good job in explaining why," Hopkins said.
The creative economy concept was presented as a campaign pledge in October by then presidential candidate Park. In her inaugural address, she defined a creative economy as the "convergence of science and technology with industry and the blossoming of creativity in the very borders that were once permeated by barriers. It is about going beyond the rudimentary expansion of existing markets and creating new markets and new jobs by building on the bedrock of convergence."
Do you understand what this means? If you don't, don't blame yourself because you are not alone.
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