The news media function of government websites and communicative engagement in e-governance in Korea

While the traditional media such as newspapers and television were the only resources for people to obtain information on government policies, the Internet has made it possible for them to directly access, and interactively use, the information with government websites functioning as a news media delivering policy news. This study investigates the patterns of communicative engagement in e-governance in South Korea, raising the question of whether citizens authentically engage in the workings of governance. The government websites have been analyzed, and it was revealed that citizens' authentic participation in e-governance is somewhat far from the ideal of democracy. Whereas the common patterns of communicative engagement are agenda setting and policy evaluation, few people are involved in the decision-making process, which is the essence of democratic governance. The study concludes that the current status of Internet-based governance in the country does not fully enhance democratic capacities; however, a forward-looking vision of communicative engagement to facilitate that authentic civic participation is in order.