7. Postmodern Risks: The Fourth Industrial Revolution in East Asia

Although the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) are celebrated for their potential to contribute to the better management of natural disaster risks, this chapter suggests they have a dark side because they are potentially creating postmodern technological hazards that threaten the mental integrity and autonomy of human individuals and groups. The chapter analyzes two socio-technical issues in South Korea that are identified as precursors of these new hazards. First is the dissemination of fake news in the Druking scandal of 2018. The second is the ongoing debate in Korean society over Internet addiction and children’s access to online computer games, specifically the Shutdown Law of 2011. In both cases, these new technological hazards are shown to have serious societal consequences, but key stakeholders lack consensus on how to define these hazards, assign responsibility, or devise appropriate policy responses. The chapter concludes that the 4IR paradoxically makes it easier to mitigate traditional forms of risk but also creates complex, post-physical hazards that are harder to identify and control.