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.