1. Professor Taejun Lee Publishes Research in Technology in Society

Professor Taejun Lee has published the research article “Governing Digital Innovation Ecosystems under Risk and Uncertainty: IP Circulation, Platform Dependency, and Policy Orchestration in Korean Content Industries” in Technology in Society, an international journal examining the relationships between technological change, society, organizations, and public policy.

The study develops a new conceptual framework for understanding how digital innovation ecosystems operate under conditions of risk, uncertainty, and growing platform dependency. Drawing on the Korean content industry from 2023 to 2026, the research identifies IP circulation, platform coordination, and network integration as three key mechanisms of digital ecosystem innovation and introduces policy orchestration as a higher-order governance mechanism for managing risk and adapting to uncertainty. A central finding is that IP ownership plays a critical role in determining whether digital platforms and global content circulation generate cumulative ecosystem value or deepen dependency on dominant platforms.

By connecting innovation ecosystem theory with platform studies and cultural and creative industries research, the study provides important implications for how governments and industries can foster resilient and globally competitive digital innovation ecosystems in the era of AI and platformization.

Technology in Society, 88 (2026), 103495

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103495

2. Professor Taejun Lee Publishes Research on Public Relations Inquiry

Professor Taejun Lee has published the research article “Public Relations as Legitimacy Infrastructure in the Algorithmic State” in Public Relations Inquiry, a leading international journal in public relations and strategic communication.

As artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic decision-making become increasingly embedded in government, the study examines how public institutions can maintain trust and legitimacy when citizens encounter public authority through automated systems. It argues that technical accuracy, transparency, and regulatory compliance alone are insufficient to secure the legitimacy of AI-enabled governance. Instead, legitimacy is continuously shaped by how algorithmic decisions are framed, explained, contested, and evaluated by the public.

The article introduces the Legitimacy Infrastructure Model (LIM), which identifies four interconnected domains—value framing, justificatory signaling, narrative positioning, and trust calibration—through which the legitimacy of algorithmic authority is constructed. Based on this framework, the study reconceptualizes public relations as “legitimacy infrastructure,” suggesting that communication leadership should be embedded in the design, implementation, oversight, and evaluation of AI-enabled public decision-making rather than functioning only after policies and technologies have been introduced.

The research contributes to emerging debates at the intersection of public relations, AI governance, public administration, and institutional legitimacy, highlighting that successful AI governance ultimately depends not only on how well AI systems perform, but also on whether the authority exercised through them is perceived as fair, accountable, understandable, and legitimate.

Lee, T. (2026). “Public Relations as Legitimacy Infrastructure in the Algorithmic State.” Public Relations Inquiry.

DOI: 10.1177/2046147X261465968