B) Obligation of the State to Bridge the Digital Divide and the Rights of the Social Minorities Digital literacy can be defined as the ability to understand and utilize information from various digital sources.356) In order to lead a smooth life in society today, it is very important to carry out the cultural and social activities using various digital media and devices. In the past, there was also an optimistic opinion that the digital divide would be naturally resolved as informatization progressed, but there is a great concern for the digital divide emerging as a new inequality as it is intertwined with existing economic, social, and cultural inequality.357) In the context of COVID-19, all information related to the characteristics of the infectious disease, testing and vaccination was exchanged online in real time, and a significant number of administrative services were based online. The elderly, who were most vulnerable to COVID-19, had to be delayed in obtaining information and accessing administrative services due to their low digital literacy. When the elderly face this reality, it could lead to anger, lower self-esteem, and worsening feelings of depression and isolation,358) and it is directly related to the issue of anyone being deprived of the right to enjoy a dignified life. Resolving the digital divide needs to be approached as a right of the elderly to enjoy, not as a protective measure or a charity. Lack of digital literacy means experiencing significant difficulties in accessing information and administrative services, as well as in using daily services. It is essential for the elderly who are unfamiliar with digital devices and culture to adapt to a new lifestyle, but the elderly without digital devices or inexperienced in using them find it more difficult to learn the functions of increasingly complex digital devices and are in a state where they are not even familiar with the terminologies. This can be called a ‘digital exclusion’ and could lead to social inequalities, etc.359) 355) NHRCK Human Rights Status Survey, Survey of Human Rights Situation of Elderlies Due to Digital Divide, Dec. 2022. 356) Kwon, Seong-ho and Hyeon, Seung-hye, A Study on the Digital Literacy of Middle-Aged Workers: Focusing on Improving the Digital Literacy, 2014. 357) NHRCK, Human Rights Status Survey, Survey of Human Rights Situation of Elderlies Due to Digital Divide, Dec. 2022. 358) Kyunghyang Shinmun, Increasing “Digital Divide,” Leading to More Depressed Elderlies, Jun. 24, 2021. 359) Lee, Dong-seok, Implications of the UK's digital inclusion policy and non-face-to-face disability services, International Social Security Review, 2021. 152