Sojinkong Selected as This Year's Outstanding Innovation Case for 'IoT-Based Asset Management'

The Small Enterprise and Market Service held the "2nd SEMAS Innovation Performance Conference" from the 28th to the 30th of last month.

The Small Enterprise and Market Service (SEMAS) announced on the 11th that it held the '2nd SEMAS Innovation Performance Competition' to share the innovation activities and achievements of each department throughout the year.

This year, headquarters departments, regional headquarters, and regional centers participated, showcasing numerous innovative cases discovered in the field with small business owners and traditional markets. The competition evaluation panel consisted of about 40 members, including employees, innovation officers from government ministries and other public institutions, and small business and traditional market merchants, who evaluated 43 innovation tasks.

The panel selected outstanding cases within five themes aligned with the government's innovation direction: ▲work efficiency and productivity improvement ▲internal and external cooperation ▲active administration and regulatory improvement ▲enhancement of convenience and safety for policy targets ▲improvement of SEMAS's external recognition. The selected cases were those that small business owners and the public could tangibly experience and that had high potential for future performance expansion.

The representative cases selected this year included 18 projects such as efficient 'public asset management' using the Internet of Things (IoT), introduction of an 'interest-free installment plan' for small business owners' self-payments, 'contract work efficiency' incorporating generative AI, and the introduction of a 'plagiarism verification system' for support project proposals.

The best case among headquarters business departments this year was the Growth Support Office's 'Efficient Public Asset Management Using IoT.' This case attached intelligent IoT asset management terminals to expensive shared equipment purchased through a collaborative activation joint project, enabling real-time monitoring of usage, unauthorized movement or disposal, and damage status, thereby reducing administrative workload. Since it was conducted as part of the Public Procurement Service's 'Innovative Product Pilot Purchase Project,' it also received high marks for budget savings.

The Digital Support Office introduced the 'interest-free installment plan for small business owners' self-payments,' the first of its kind among public institutions, to alleviate the financial burden of applicants for the smart device distribution project. By granting special credit limits to low-credit individuals, it achieved results in reducing customer burden and the dropout rate from support projects.

The Informatization Support Office introduced a 'plagiarism verification system' for various support project proposals submitted by small business owners, eradicating repeated copying of proposals and broker activities. This secured transparency and reliability in policy support and contributed to preventing fraudulent government budget claims, earning it the best case award in the management department.

The generative AI-integrated case, a hot issue this year, also received favorable reviews. The Management Support Office launched the AI 'Kim Gye-yak Juim,' which learned contract-related laws and various SEMAS contract regulations, significantly reducing simple and repetitive inquiries from employees and improving work efficiency. It applied for and was selected for the Korea Intelligent Information Society Agency (NIA)'s 'AI Utilization Support Project,' securing several tens of millions of won in support budget.

Various excellent cases were also discovered in the regions. The Gwangju Honam Regional Headquarters was selected as the best regional headquarters case by collaborating with Suncheon City to efficiently operate tourism vouchers in traditional markets to revitalize the local economy, which had been depressed due to COVID-19, significantly increasing sales.

Through this Innovation Performance Competition, SEMAS plans to provide selected outstanding departments and individuals with monetary awards, special promotion opportunities, and additional points in performance evaluations. It also plans to publish the '2023 SEMAS Innovation Casebook' to facilitate the spread of achievements.

Park Seong-hyo, Director of SEMAS, said, “Seeing the innovation achievements that have developed further compared to last year, I could feel the hard work of our employees throughout the year,” and added, “We will continue to create high-quality outstanding cases by prioritizing policy beneficiaries with a customer- and field-centered approach, boldly improving work procedures, and enhancing convenience through a change in mindset.”

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