Page 25 - Smart public health emergency management and ICT implementations - A U4SSC deliverable on city platforms

Building trust in leadership and advanced technology in post crisis era

Trust in government, shaken by repeated political and public health crises, had been in short supply
well into the second decade of the 21 century. Korea’s hard-won battle for democracy, achieved
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by the late 1980s, continued to be a struggle for trust in government, the core of the relationship
between the state and the people. Over-the-top policing of demonstrations and police raids on
a military scale to arrest trade union agitators indicated that the Korean government lacked trust
in the citizens . The populace was equally distrustful of their government, articulated by Korean
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“netizens”, the nation’s tech-savvy Internet users, who flood online forums with organized responses
to government activity, opinions and theories, conspiratorial or otherwise. These watchdogs, ever
mindful that their nation was a dictatorship just a quarter-century earlier, are on constant watch
for any hint of trouble threatening their hard-won democracy. Since the election of Mayor Park in
2011, The SMG has been focused on improving the nature and form of communication between
government and the citizens, making public-private participation central to the governing of smart
sustainable Seoul. The “listening mayor”, as the late Mayor was known, was responsible for making
open communication the cornerstone of his administration. He had many smart city tools and
services at his disposal, such as the Open Data Plaza (2012), Seoul’s big data store as well as an
advanced communication infrastructure, which enabled the promotion and implementation of
various citizen participation programmes to boost economic growth and to improve public services.
These were all instrumental in regaining public trust in government and in his leadership.
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Since at least early 2000, ICTs have been the main driver of South Korea’s economic growth as well
as managing its cities nationwide. Subsequent national governments continued to make technology
paramount in the creation of new economic growth engines designed to lead the country into the
21 century; the latest in 2014, labelled ‘creative economy’, was designed to drive innovation.
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Seventeen innovation centres were set-up in cities across the country, including Seoul, becoming
the basis for a new ecosystem enabling the formation and growth of start-ups. According to the
mayor, the key to the success of this new economy was regaining the people’s trust and securing
their happiness and safety through innovation and governance in “order to transform Seoul into
a global model for innovative cities”. Meanwhile the late Mayor turned his focus to ”safeguarding
the lives of Seoul citizens by focusing on growth, jobs and welfare”. In his 2016 New Year’s address
to citizens of Seoul, he promised that the lessons learned during the MERS crisis like “better too
early than too late” and “the magic bullet is information disclosure” would continue to determine
the measures his administration would take in the form of proactive policies. That year, on 21
November 2016, Mayor Park joined 100 or more mayors from around the world in the Healthy Cities
Mayors Forum at the 9 Global Conference on Health Promotion in Shanghai. The forum reached a
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Healthy Cities Consensus that emphasized promoting health at the neighbourhood and community
levels for all groups, highlighting the importance of local leadership and citizen engagement in
achieving this goal. Furthermore, the forum attendees stressed the role of health and well-being
in sustainable development, consequently satisfying the United Nations Sustainable Development
Agenda. Joined by government representatives and heads of UN agencies, the participants also
released the Shanghai Declaration on Health Promotion” advocating ”improved governance for
health at all levels, development of healthy cities that are inclusive, safe and resilient, and health

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