Jean-Vincent Placé, a Korean-born French state reform minister, will hold a special dialogue with

Gov. Won Hee-ryong of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province at 9 a.m. on June 2, the last day of

the upcoming Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity 2017.

Minister Placé will deliver a keynote speech under the theme, “Democracy in the Digital Era:

Seizing Initiatives for More Open and Agile Government,” at the one-hour special session. The

speech will be followed by a conversation between him and Gov. Won and finally a question-and-

answer session with the audience.

Many experts predict that the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which has accelerated the widespread

use of artificial intelligence and big data technologies, will have a big effect on democracy and

other systems governing society and the state. Minister Placé has been at the forefront of the

French drive to enhance local autonomy, reform the public sector and streamline state

administration. He plans to talk about what kind of changes democracy is facing in the digital era

and about how central and local governments should respond to them.

In the session, they are expected to exchange views on the prospects of digital government and

democracy based on simplified administration for efficiency, while evaluating government reform

in South Korea, often hailed as a world leader in public sector innovation. They will also discuss the

role of local governments in a rapidly changing world as well as seeking to identify the task of

innovation lying ahead for Jeju Province in its quest for a high level of autonomy.

Ranking tenth in the latest United Nations e-governance survey conducted last year, France is

aggressively pursuing state reform by establishing a digital-based electronic government with an

efficient and streamlined administration. A global leader in technology, South Korea is working

closely with France to create synergy by supporting each other's e-government policies and

benchmarking each other’s merits.

Minister Placé, who started his political career with membership of the Green Party in 2001, was

elected to the French Senate in September 2011. He has earned a reputation as a “talented deal-

maker” for his good political sense. The minister has been actively involved in plans to improve

public transportation and other reform programs at the sub-national level.