[kictanet] Korea

Fri Nov 11 11:51:42 EAT 2011

Interesting. And YES,it is VERY expensive!
Quoting bitange at jambo.co.ke:

> Edith,
> Today we spent some time in Daejeon, the Silicon Valley of Korea.  The
> city is about 200 Km north of Seoul or a two and half hour drive.  By rail
> it took us 45 minutes to cover the distance in their 350 Kph super train. 
> It was faster than driving from South B to City Centre at peak hour in
> Nairobi.  Korea is a country of hills but the highways and rail tunnels
> run straight since they blast through these hills making driving
> pleasurable.
> 
> Even at the breath taking speed, we had a glimpse of their farm lands and
> rural life.  The rice fields are dry and clear scattered with hay. Here
> nothing goes to waste as this is what improves on their productivity.  Kim
> who sat next to me tells me much of hay will be animal fodder,
> particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle
>  and some will be used to make bloakboards thus increasing retuns to
> farmers.  For a few minutes I reflected on the waste from our wheat and
> corn fields that would easily feed the dying livestock in Northern Kenya
> or safe our trees by making bloakbords.
> 
> At intervals of about 50 Km there is a city with high rises.  The average
> size of an appartment is 90 sq m and with two to three bedrooms.  They
> don't need more than that Kim said.  The average family size here is 3. 
> Fertility rate is 1.1 per woman going by 2010 statistics.  Fertility rate
> in Kenya from the same statistics stands at 5 children per woman with
> Central and Nyanza averaging  3 and 6 respectively (the variance between
> Central and Nyanza is largely due to education of women and not Kumi Kumi
> as Hon. Shitanda may think).
> 
> I ask Kim what percentage of their population is urban.  he quickly pulls
> his Galaxy handset and googles my question.  This is common here.  Nobody
> seems to know anything.  Google has the answer.  Eighty one percent he
> says.  We arrive in Daejeon and what strikes you is the amount of rail
> infrastructure.  The high speed, the slow speed (cheaper with maximum
> speed of 180 kmh on standard gauge.  Note that whenever our train moves at
> more than 60 kph, it rolls as we are on narrow gauge) and the goods train.
> 
> There are 60 research centers but our trip takes us to their National Data
> Center.  It is a seven floor building measuring 40,000 sq m.  It consumes
> 240 MW of power and has 1,000 employees on a three shift rotation.  They
> keep their sensitive data here with a back up facility in another city 70
> Kms further north.  They are planning on a third facility that would
> mainly focus on business continuity.  The head of the facility receives
> us.  He does not speak a single word of English but a woman seated next to
> him translates about 70% of what is said.  More important he tells us the
> benefits of automation including the efficiencies that government has
> created to its citizens and the reduction of corruption in Korea.  He
> admits that Korea at one time was as corrupt as any of those countries
> struggling in the TI list.
> 
> I am foever optimistic that automation will see Kenya eradicate
> corruption.  Preliminary results are encouraging.  Pre-digitization at
> Lands Ministry has seen revenue jump from Ksh. 3 billion to Ksh. 7
> billion.  Once we finish it is estimated that GoK will collect as much as
> Ksh. 30 billion.  A similar amount will be recovered if we automated our
> procurement.  The Company registry's revenue are up three times. 
> Judiciary we have not finished yet butthere are positive signs.
> 
> We left Daejeon at 2 pm for a 3.30 pm meeting with the Minister in Public
> Service.  There are certainly areas that Korea needs to improve.  In all
> the meeting I attended, there was not a single senior woman.
> 
> In this all expense paid visit to Korea, I made one serious arror but a
> good lesson.  I invited four of the senior people to a dinner sponsored by
> Kenya (a diplomatic lingua franca).  My bill came to Kuan. 1.2 million or
> $1,000.  Seoul is EXPENSIVE.
> 
> 
> Regards.
> 
> 
> Ndemo.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > Bwana Ndemo,
> >
> > Wow! what a transformation! how long has this journey taken? what were the
> > key success factors?.
> >
> > For sure, what we need in Kenya is this "feeling of shame"....that would
> > be halfway to eradicating corruption!
> >
> > Edith
> > ________________
> > Edith Ofwona Adera
> > Senior Program Specialist
> > Climate Change & Water Program
> > International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le
> > développement international
> > Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa
> > Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera
> > eadera at idrc.or.ke | www.idrc.ca | www.crdi.ca
> > ________________________________________
> > From: kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> > [kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of
> > bitange at jambo.co.ke [bitange at jambo.co.ke]
> > Sent: 08 November 2011 17:19
> > To: Edith Adera
> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Korea
> >
> > I arrived in Korea yesterday for a Global e-Government conference.  ITU
> > ranks Korea as number one in ICT diffusion.  From the airport you see
> > people walk through with an e-passport using biometrics.  The New Incheon
> > airport is 70 Kms west of Seoul, the capital and largest city of South
> > Korea with some 11 million inhabitants. It is one of the largest and
> > busiest airports in the world actually the world's fourth busiest airport
> > by cargo traffic, and the world's eighth busiest airport in terms of
> > international passengers in 2010.
> >
> > Korea is about 99,000 sq Kms or one half of the Rift Valley Province of
> > Kenya with a population of 50 million and a GDP of $1 trillion (Kenya's
> > GDP is about $35 billion).  In the 60's it was largely a donor recipient
> > country with a GDP less than that of Kenya and more than 60% of its
> > population below poverty.  They have turned tables to be a member of the
> > OECD and a donor country over a short period.
> >
> > For many years it mostly depended on the USA as its largest trade partner
> > but over a time they focused their energies on the Asian Markets.  Its
> > trade with China, USA and Japan in 2010 figures stands at %190, $98 and
> > $90 billion respectively.  They import a great deal of food and the reason
> > why we should not lease our land but use it to improve on our economic
> > growth.  A Kg of meat here is $100 imported from Canada and Brazil.
> >
> > I asked our Ambassador why we cannot sell our meat here.  He says we do
> > not meat their standards.  This should not be a problem since we have
> > broadband in most parts of the country that we can keep pace with the rest
> > of the world in keeping the records especially those required by various
> > standrds organization.
> >
> > Back to Korea.  ICTs are also deployed along the highways making it easier
> > to go through the toll stations and collecting all the revenues.  You can
> > get data from government at every hour.  You can for example know the
> > number of children born in a day throughtout the country.  There is CCTV
> > practically everywhere.  Crime is approaching zero.
> >
> > There is an over supply of affordable public transport via the rail and
> > bus system all clean and on time.  If you choose to drive on your own, you
> > are taxed at every new turn you make.  The tax from the polluters who
> > cannot use public transport is used to subsidize the energy efficient
> > public tranportation.
> >
> > Every child after high school has to go through the Military thus
> > instilling the discipline required in this competitive world.  Because of
> > such discipline, they do everything very fast.  We were literaly running
> > behind our hosts to catch up with them.  In the Newspapers there is a Bank
> > executive who has committed suicide because he gave questionable loans to
> > friends.  He killed himself for shaming his family and that he may not
> > have any friends.
> >
> > My experience here confirms much of what we have been saying in this
> > forum.  The problem is how to inculcate such high levels of ethical
> > standards as well as feeling of shame.
> >
> >
> > Regards
> >
> >
> > Ndemo.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> 
> 
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for
> people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation.
> The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support
> of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
> 
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online
> that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share
> knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam,
> do not market your wares or qualifications.
> 

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