[Report] Some Regrets Due to System Failure... but the 'Digital Government' Continues

'2023 Korea Government Expo' from 23 to 25
Experience digital technology from 99 institutions and companies
Gojin "Korea to become one of the world's top 5 digital powers"

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is being used to prevent voice phishing crimes and measure congestion on subway platforms to prevent accidents. An application (app) has also been developed to eliminate the unfortunate situation of 119 ambulances carrying emergency patients wandering around looking for emergency rooms.

On the 23rd, a total of 99 organizations from the government, public sector, and private companies gathered at BEXCO in Busan for the ‘2023 Korea Government Expo.’ Hosted by the Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, this event provided an opportunity to experience the achievements of government innovation through digital transformation.

2023 Korea Government Expo Overview
[Photo by Digital Platform Government Committee]

Preventing Accidents and Protecting Citizen Safety through Digital Technology

AI specialist company ‘Beamworks’ introduced the ‘Emergency Pro’ app to prevent delays in transporting emergency patients. Launched last month, this app is a service for paramedics. By inputting the patient’s condition and symptoms, it recommends suitable nearby hospitals and helps connect calls. Since real-time updates on emergency room congestion and available beds are provided, it can reduce chronic problems like the so-called ‘emergency room round trips.’ By the end of this year, an ‘Emergency Easy’ app for the general public will be released. It allows users to self-check symptoms in easy-to-understand language and introduces appropriate emergency rooms, clinics, and pharmacies.

Services that protect citizens’ lives and safety through digital means are emerging one after another. Seoul Metro is conducting a pilot service from this month that measures congestion on subway platforms by analyzing transportation card boarding and alighting data. Currently, it is being implemented at Gunja Station and Janghanpyeong Station on Seoul Subway Line 5, as well as 10 stations on the Gimpo Gold Line, boasting an accuracy of 90%. Based on congestion levels classified as caution, crowded, or severe, station staff can respond accordingly to prevent accidents caused by passenger overcrowding. AI voice analysis technology is also used to root out voice phishing crime rings. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has achieved results such as solving cold cases and arresting criminal organizations by analyzing the voices of voice phishing criminals.

Saving Time and Costs... Making Daily Life More Convenient

Kakao Mobility introduced a feature in the KakaoT app that allows users to book and pay for train tickets such as KTX and SRT. Users can gift tickets to acquaintances and check available transportation options at their destination. Kakao Cloud, which can generate AI images in optimal environments, and ‘Karlo,’ a generative AI that creates AI profiles from a single photo, were also unveiled.

Go Jin, Chairman of the Digital Platform Government Committee, is delivering the opening address at the "2023 Korea Government Expo" held at BEXCO in Busan on the 23rd.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Information Society Agency (NIA) introduced public MyData functions. These are used when public and administrative institutions provide individuals’ administrative information to third parties such as financial institutions. For example, when a small business owner applies for a loan at a bank, documents like a business registration certificate and income certificate are required, but by using public MyData, this can be handled with just a smartphone without having to obtain the documents directly. The biggest advantage is saving time and costs. Additionally, only the necessary information within the certificates can be selectively submitted, protecting personal information.

"Government24 Outages Are Painful"... Digital Innovation Continues

To use the public MyData service, users must access the ‘Government24’ website. Ironically, just a few days before the event, Government24 experienced access outages that paralyzed civil service processing, and on the 23rd, the Public Procurement Service’s ‘Nara Marketplace’ website was down for about an hour. This was a setback for the event and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s ‘Digital Platform Government (DPLG)’ promotion plan, which aims to innovate the public sector with digital technology and make citizens’ lives more comfortable.

However, digital transformation is clearly an unavoidable task of the times. The DPLG is already promoting ‘zero attachment documents,’ where citizens do not need to issue and submit civil documents themselves, as government agencies exchange them directly.

Ko Jin, chairman of the DPLG, said, “System failures are painful,” but added, “They are proof that we must achieve paradigm shifts and institutional and technological innovations with a long-term perspective.” He emphasized, “The government will actively utilize the private sector’s digital technology, innovation capabilities, and creativity, and develop together with the private sector. While it is not easy for our country to be among the top five powers on the physical Earth, we can be among the top five powers in the digital Earth.”

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