Statement
by
H.E. Cho Tae-yul
Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs
of the Republic of Korea

at the
2013 High-level Segment of the Economic and Social Council
Substantive Session 

3 July 2013
Geneva

(Introduction)

Mr. President,

I would like to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation for your efforts to organize this year’s High-Level Segment of ECOSOC.

I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for the comprehensive and timely report (E/2013/54) before us, which takes stock of the lessons learned from past experiences and sets out various recommendations to address the current challenges relating to sustainable development.

We now stand at a critical juncture as we strive to follow up on the outcomes of the Rio+20 Summit and design a post-2015 development agenda, as well as reinforce our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

To this end, I believe we can draw valuable insights from the Secretary-General’s report. We agree with the Secretary-General’s assessment that science, technology and innovation (STI) serve as a driving force behind dynamic economic transformations that can also provide opportunities to “leapfrog” over intermediate stages of development.

Korea’s development experience is a powerful and convincing reminder that science, technology and innovation lie at the heart of economic and social development.

Mr. President,

History illustrates how science, technology and innovation paved the way for an unprecedented development of civilization. This trend will no doubt continue into the future.

Given the pressing challenges we face such as climate change, the continued economic downturn, and food and energy crises, it is time to think hard on ways to capitalize on the opportunities offered by science, technology and innovation.

In this regard, I strongly believe that the critical role of science, technology, innovation, and culture as a tool to implement sustainable development should be reflected in the post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. 

(Global Partnership in Utilizing the Advance of STI)

Mr. President,

The key task before us is to create a strong connection between scientific communities and policy makers, and to promote effective global partnerships so as to ensure that the benefits of science, technology and innovation are widely shared. In the era of globalization, trade, migration, FDI, and multinational corporations will also play a significant role in advancing science, technology and innovation at both national and global level.

In this context, it is imperative to enhance global partnership among government, private sector and civil society in translating the great potential of science, technology and innovation into sustainable development for all. I believe the Busan Global Partnerships for Effective Development Cooperation launched in 2012 represents a good model as an inclusive partnership to generate greater synergy and coherence between the UN system and existing partnerships. The G20 can also play an important role as part of the global partnership. Since the adoption of the Development Agenda at the 2010 Seoul Summit, G20 member countries have worked to create an enabling environment for sustainable and inclusive growth in developing countries.

(Potential of Culture)

Mr. President,

Culture and creativity are other important factors driving economic and social development. They can generate knowledge, information and added value in economic activities and stimulate innovation.

As stated in the Secretary-General’s report, the income produced by cultural industries globally in 2007 was estimated to reach $1.6 trillion; cultural tourism accounts for 40 per cent of global tourism-related revenue and is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors, especially in developing countries. This provides a good opportunity for developing countries, since cultural and creative industries, including cultural tourism, can be promoted with relatively limited capital.

Many developing countries are rich in traditional culture and arts. Picasso’s cubism is a case in point. Picasso drew great inspiration from African sculptures when developing cubism. As a result, we are now enjoying many of his masterpieces such as Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Bust of Woman, and Mother and Child.

Movies such as Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi, and Buena Vista Social Club are inspiring millions around the world by combining contents from developing countries with the entrepreneurship of developed countries. Bollywood in India and Nollywood in Nigeria are successful models of cultural industries in developing countries that have great potential to spur economic growth.

However, many developing countries lack the entrepreneurs and financial resources to link their cultural assets to economic gains. Their creative and cultural sectors are characterized by self-employed artisans and small businesses, and need support for capacity building, especially to get access to domestic and international markets. 

With this in mind, the Korean government is committed to helping developing countries enhance the capacity of their cultural industries by sharing our know-how in areas such as preserving and reproducing traditional culture. Korea also contributed to the UNESCO trust fund to assist countries like Mongolia, Vietnam, and Laos in preserving their traditional arts. At the same time, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Korea’s development arm, is pursuing a large-scale project to help Cambodia restore its historic sites.

(Creative Economy)

Mr. President,

In the last four decades, following success models of advanced economies by applying and developing existing technologies has been one of the major driving forces behind Korea’s remarkable economic growth. But, due to the unrelenting challenges of our time, such as the global economic recession and the growing competition with other emerging economies, this strategy has hit a limit.

In this context, the Korean Government recently embraced the ‘creative economy’ as a new paradigm for growth, which is to fundamentally transform our economy from a ‘fast follower’ into a ‘first mover.’ The core of this new initiative lies in creating new markets, new industries, and eventually new growth engines by fusing ICT with other science and technology based on creativity. It aims to create an ecosystem that gives people greater freedom and autonomy to create innovative ideas and allows imagination and creativity to be rewarded.

Priorities will also be placed on establishing safety nets that allow entrepreneurs to bounce back from failure so as to prevent the pioneering spirit of creativity from disappearing under the pressure of failure. The environment favorable to creative thinkers will create an enormous pool of knowledge-based capital, which will be the source for high-value added jobs and new industries.

To achieve these goals, aside from establishing a new Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the Korean Government adopted six strategies. These strategies establish an environment in which 1) creativity is rewarded, 2) venture companies, and small and medium sized enterprises, are fostered, 3) new engines for growth are generated, 4) talented people with creativity are nurtured, 5) innovation capacity in science and technology, and ICT is strengthened, and 6) a culture of a creative economy is built.

Mr. President,

Developing countries have great potential in terms of creativity and innovation. In this regard, the UNCTAD’s 2010 Creative Economy Report is worthy of note. The report stresses that developing countries’ exports of creative goods reached $176 billion in 2008, accounting for 43% of total trade in creative industries.

Despite the potential of many developing countries, a so-called ‘creative divide’ exists. This is a concept defined by John Howkins as a “divide, not in people’s wish to be creative but in their ability to express their creativity in marketable products.”   

To share the benefits of the creative economy, the Korean Government seeks to bridge this ‘creative divide’ by helping deepen the understanding of the developing countries on science, technology, and innovation. We plan to share our experiences in industrial development, where we made proactive investments and effectively used science and technology, as well as our current policies on the creative economy.

(Conclusion)

Mr. President,

If you ever visit Korea, you will find young Koreans tapping away on their smart phones all around you. You will see them everywhere on the streets, in the subway, in restaurants. Their messages are transmitted to all the corners of the globe instantaneously, allowing for the exchange of ideas, the proposal of solutions, and the creation of new opportunities.

We have faith in the untapped creative potential of our youngsters, equipped with the latest technological devices and global networks of interconnectedness, to create new sources of growth. In this context, we welcome ECOSOC’s Youth Forum held last March on leveraging science, technology, innovation for today’s youth. The Forum provided a great opportunity to share the vivid experience of our young generation.

I believe that international cooperation should be strengthened to establish a global network for sharing knowledge and information, narrowing the knowledge and technology gap among nations. Korea will continue to join the efforts of the global community to maximize the benefits of scientific, technological innovation, and culture to contribute to development in a sustainable way.

Before I conclude, let me assure you that the Republic of Korea will continue to play its due part to spread happiness and prosperity throughout the global village, by increasing our contribution to the global community’s efforts to achieve sustainable development.

Thank you very much.