정보화 사회의 도래와 전자정부의 출현 등으로 인하여 소통의 수단도 종이문서에서 전자문서로 급격하게 대체되어 가고 있다. 이러한 변화에 대하여 기술적인 발전에 불과한 것으로 보는 입장과 법이론적으로 중대한 의미가 있다고 보는 입장으로 대립한다. 종이문서에서 전자문서로의 이전은 인터넷의 발전과 결합하여 공법상으로는 ‘보다 좋은 정부’를 구현하게 된다. 저렴한 비용으로 효과적으로 행정목적을 달성하면서도 국민들과 소통하고 책임을 분담하여 민주주의적인 참여를 확대하는데 획기적으로 가능하게 된다. 이는 영미의 후기 신공공관리이론과 독일의 제어국가와 보장국가에서 추구하는 핵심내용들이다. 행정주체와 시민들 간의 소통의 획기적인 발전으로 전자민주주의를 구현하는데도 크게 기여한다. 사법상으로는 소수의 사람들만이 누리던 정보에 대하여 전자문서와 인터넷을 통해 신속하고 대량으로 소통하는 것이 가능하게 되어 거래의 자유와 기본권이 실질적으로 보장되게 한다. 전자문서와 인터넷의 발달은 탈경계화와 분권화를 촉진시키며, 국가와 지방자치단체, 사인, 기업 등 사이에 책임의 분담 내지 분할을 용이하게 한다. 전자문서는 정보화 사회의 발전을 위한 수단이자, 행정개혁의 수단으로서 핵심적인 의미를 가진다. 반면에 전자문서가 종이문서에 비하여 가지는 단점들도 간과할 수 없다.
따라서 전자문서가 종이문서에 대하여 가지는 단점을 극복하면서, 장점을 살리는 방향으로 이론과 입법상의 노력을 하여야 한다. 이와 관련하여 종이문서와 전자문서의 등가성, 무결성, 보안성, 최신성, 공개성, 기밀성 등 기본적인 문제들에 대한 논의를 하였다.
정보화 사회와 전자정부에서 전자문서가 종이문서로 대체해 가는 것에 대해서는 성급하게 결론을 내리기 보다는 휴리스틱적인 접근과 실험적인 접근을 계속해 나가면서 시행착오를 극복해 나가야 한다. 행정주체는 전자거래와 소통의 활성화라는 이익과 기본권 보호 이익을 이익형량하면서, 시장과의 거리를 적절하게 조절하면서 제어해 나가야 할 것이다.
As Information Society and Electronic Government has appeared, Paper Documents as tools of communication are disappearing and replacing so fast by the Electronic Documents.
Many Peoples are arguing about whether this Change is only technical progress or has the significant meaning in Law Theory.
But we’d better know this Change is contributing to make ‘better Governmert’. Because we can improve Democracy and promote participation dramatically through allocating Government’s Burden and Liability with lower Cost and more effectiveness by the help of E-Document and ICT. This is also the core message of Post-NPM in UK and US, NSM and Steering States or Ensuring States in Germany.
We’d better know that this change also contribute to make people use practically use the freedom of trade because information is widely and massively open to so many people by the help of E-Document and ICT.
As E-Document and Internet are developing, so many Modern Phenomena are appearing for example, De-bordering or Beyond, Decentralizing, Allocating of Liability.
In conclusion, E-Documents are the core tools for promotion of Information Society and revolution of E-Government.
But we’d better also know about the demerits of E-Document compared to Paper Document for example, the lack of Body, weakness of manipulation, abnormal language because of technique, dependency of technique for security, and also Digital Divide.
So we should take effort to overcome demerits of E-Document and get the merits in making Law and Theory. For this aim, we’d better think over several points.
At first, we shall consider about Equal Value between Paper Document and E-Document. In Public Law area, we have the Article for Equal Value through ‘Electronic Government Act’. But ‘Administrative Procedure Act’ which is basic law for Public Administration is lack of this Equal Value Article. For the improvement of the System of law, we’d better revise ‘Administrative Procedure Act’ to add the Equal Value Article.
In Private Law Area, although Electronic-Commerce is prosperous, ‘Civil Act’ is lack of Equal Value Article. Instead of ‘Civil Act’, this Article exists in ‘Framework Act on Electronic Documents and Transactions’ and several Individual Acts.
Also for improvement of the legal system in legislation, we’d better revise ‘Civil Act’ to get this Equal Value Article.
Second point is about Integrity and Security. The Article which make E-Document has the assumed Integrity is devised to make the E-commerce prosperous and easy in ‘Framework Act on Electronic Documents and Transactions’. This Act has been revised to admit and accept not only Digital Signature but also various types of Signature. But this Act requires strict requirements for security. There are two types of Signature, those are normal electronic signature and qualified electronic signature. They have different power, because that has only power of Authenticity, but this has Integrity and Authenticity. We’d better revise law to add the Security Article in ‘Administrative Procedure Act’ and ‘Civil Act’ for better and systematical Legislation.
Third Point is Freshness and Publicity. To make Information Society prosperous and E-Gov. more communicative, we’d better declare doctrine of Freshness and Publicity.
Fourth Point is Confidentiality. Individual Information and Privacy, the right to self-determination of personal information etc. must be practically protected.
New Legislation Trend is not in traditional Administrative Regulation, but in using Self-Regulation at first for Market’s Autonomie and secondary Government’s Regulation to repair and help Market. This new Regulation is proper approach and method to access and control E-Commerce Market and Information Society. This means to accept Steering State and admit Enabling State. But we shall take more effort to concrete this ideal View of State and Theory and develop legislative skill, for example ‘Experimental Article’. At the same time, we’d better take effort to control various Hacking.