June New Designation of Regulatory Free Zones... 195 Regulatory Reforms Including Mobile Driver's Licenses

Direction of Regulatory Innovation in 2021... Promoting Regulatory Innovation for 5 New Industries Including Data, Network, and AI
Introduction of the 'Regulatory Challenge System' Allowing Challenges to Unreasonable Regulations for Correction Opportunities

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government will newly designate regulatory free zones in June and revise 195 regulations including mobile driver's licenses.

On the 14th, the Office for Government Policy Coordination announced this year's regulatory innovation promotion direction at the 121st National Policy Issue Inspection and Coordination Meeting held at the Government Complex Sejong, chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun.

First, new regulatory free zones will be designated in June to develop them as regional New Deal hubs. In addition to the existing local government application method, a 'top-down' approach from the central government will be applied.

Starting in September, the 'Special Zone Challenge Program' will be launched to provide package support such as investment presentations (IR), technology development, and policy funds to companies related to the special zones.

Additionally, 195 regulations including those on mobile driver's licenses will be revised. These tasks are among the 404 regulatory sandbox special approval projects that have passed a demonstration period of more than one year.

Notably, from next month, a new 'Regulatory Challenge System' will be introduced. As part of proactive administration, this system allows businesses to challenge existing regulations, and if the regulatory government fails to prove the necessity of maintaining the regulation, it will be improved.

Besides this, the government plans to establish the 'K Regulatory Innovation Platform' on the ground and promote regulatory innovation in five core new industry sectors as well as in five core sectors related to corporate burdens and public inconvenience.

The five core new industry sectors are the Data, Network, and Artificial Intelligence (DNA) industry, non-face-to-face industry, smartification of foundational industries, green industry, and bio-medical industry.

Noteworthy regulatory innovation initiatives include plans to implement public data sharing and opening and establish AI regulatory standards in December.

Regulatory improvements will be made in five core areas where companies and the public complain of inconvenience: startup and business operations, welfare and environment, childcare and education, transportation and housing, and public administration.

To alleviate the burdens on small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners struggling due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and on manufacturing, regulations restricting non-face-to-face sales will be improved starting in March. Factory location regulations will be relaxed.

By the end of this month, each ministry will prepare detailed revision plans according to this year's regulatory innovation promotion direction. The Office for Government Policy Coordination will compile these and report the comprehensive regulatory revision plan to the Cabinet meeting next month.

The progress of innovation by each ministry will be continuously monitored and reflected in evaluations by a task force (TF) of related ministries led by the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.