Statistics Korea Promotes Establishment of 'K-Statistics System'... "Maximizing Use of Public Data"

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sunhee] Statistics Korea is promoting the establishment of the K-Statistics System, which provides a "Korean version of public big data." Following the Data 3 Act (Personal Information Protection Act, Information and Communications Network Act, Credit Information Act) implemented in August last year, the plan is to combine data held by government ministries, local governments, and even the private sector to enhance the potential value of big data utilization.

Along with this, to dispel concerns about so-called "Big Brother" issues such as personal information leaks, it announced that it will maintain security by utilizing the latest encryption technologies such as homomorphic encryption.

On the morning of the same day, Ryu Geun-gwan, Commissioner of Statistics Korea, held a related briefing at the Government Sejong Complex and introduced the system by saying, "The K-Statistics System is a national statistical operation system that maximizes the value of data utilization while maintaining the highest level of security."

Regarding the necessity of building this statistics system, Commissioner Ryu said, "There is 'economies of scale and scope' even in public data," adding, "(Data) is a commodity whose value increases exponentially as its size grows." He explained that previously, data was scattered across government, local governments, and public institutions, and there was a lack of means to integrate and utilize it for public policy.

Once the K-Statistics System is established, it is expected to improve the efficiency and equity of public policies and contribute to the revitalization of the 4th industrial sector in the private sector. Commissioner Ryu said, "It can help level the so-called 'tilted playing field' caused by data gaps between existing big data platform companies and startups, venture companies, and young entrepreneurs who have difficulty accessing data," adding, "This will ultimately promote entry across our entire economy and help create a competitive innovation ecosystem."

Statistics Korea also plans to increase accessibility to data in the future. Under the premise of security, it will introduce a "Statistical Data Sandbox" system that temporarily allows data viewing and utilization for purposes such as scientific research or as a basis for government policy.

Commissioner Ryu stated, "In the past, when statistical data users requested data, it was not provided depending on related laws and committee verification, but from now on, data will be provided to users on the premise of 'sufficient data security,'" adding, "It will be implemented immediately as soon as possible."

Statistics Korea plans to establish the K-Statistics System within three years at the earliest and within five years at the latest. A pilot project related to the latest security technology to be applied to the system, "homomorphic encryption," is already underway. From this year, a budget of about 4.4 billion KRW has been secured over three years from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the competent ministry, to promote the "homomorphic encryption commercialization plan." Commissioner Ryu expressed his determination, saying, "At the latest within five years, I hope Korea will become the first country to operate public big data with the most perfect encryption system."

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