Government Innovation Strategy Announced: Full-Scale AI Adoption and Expanded Citizen Participation

Realizing a Citizen-Led, AI-Supported Government of National Sovereignty
Comprising Four Core Strategies and Twelve Detailed Tasks
Ministry of the Interior and Safety to Operate the Government Innovation Promotion Council

The government has announced an innovation strategy aimed at realizing a "citizen-led, AI-supported government of national sovereignty." The strategy includes the full-scale adoption of artificial intelligence in the public sector and measures to strengthen citizen participation in policymaking.

On December 2, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety reported and announced the "Government Innovation Strategy for a Government of National Sovereignty," which was jointly prepared with related ministries. This initiative responds to the increasing demand for policy participation due to heightened civic awareness and the public’s high expectations for administration driven by advances in AI technology.

The new government innovation strategy consists of four core pillars and twelve detailed tasks: ▲Establishing a citizen-led participatory and communicative governance ▲Realizing an inclusive and balanced basic society ▲Building a high-performing, trustworthy government ▲Driving a major transformation in public sector artificial intelligence.

First, to establish citizen-led participatory and communicative governance, the government will institutionalize everyday communication with the public, converting citizen opinions into policy. Participation platforms, previously dispersed by agency, will be expanded and reorganized into a government-wide citizen participation platform to enable direct communication with citizens. In addition, participation will be institutionalized through the enactment of the (tentatively named) Basic Citizen Participation Act and the legalization of residents’ self-governing councils.

Information with previously limited public accessibility-such as national tax appeal data and environmental impact assessment information-will be proactively disclosed to guarantee the public’s right to know. Administrative information sought by businesses, such as foreign laws and regulatory details, will be provided in a tailored, preemptive manner to enhance industrial competitiveness.

To listen to citizens’ voices and solve everyday problems, the government will legislate one-stop civil complaint processing and improve complaint systems, including evaluation and reward structures. Public-private consultative bodies or on-site advisory groups will be established to promote field-oriented policies.

As part of realizing a basic society, the government will build an inclusive public service system that leaves no blind spots. Outreach services will be introduced for citizens with limited access, such as rural mobile clinics and traveling civil service offices. Services for vulnerable groups, foreign residents, and overseas Koreans will be strengthened to ensure no one is left behind in public service delivery.

To establish a social safety net, the government will enact the (tentatively named) Basic Society Act and launch mid- to long-term AI basic society projects, thereby establishing a framework for basic society initiatives. The government will also expand basic communication and transportation services and provide tailored housing stability support for young people and the elderly to reduce the cost of living for citizens.

To build a high-performing government, artificial intelligence will be introduced across all administrative processes to provide personalized notification services. The government will identify and improve unproductive practices, such as unnecessary document production and inefficient meetings, and will introduce a "special performance bonus system." Substantial rewards will be strengthened for public officials responding to disasters and civil complaints. Additionally, a culture will be fostered in which civil servants themselves identify and propose solutions to unreasonable practices experienced in the field.

Finally, the government will build the infrastructure necessary for a major transformation in public sector artificial intelligence. By establishing government-wide AI infrastructure and developing specialized AI capabilities for each agency, the government will create an environment where AI use becomes routine in all public sector work. Furthermore, to ensure the ethics and reliability of public AI, a "Public AI Ethics Guideline" will be established. A new "Public AI Impact Assessment System" will also be introduced to preemptively verify potential infringements on individual rights and clarify accountability for AI decision-making in the public sector.

For the successful implementation of government innovation, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to operate a "Government Innovation Promotion Council" involving related ministries and local governments, as well as a "Government Innovation Strategy Committee" comprising academic and field experts.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Hojoong stated, "Beyond enhancing administrative efficiency, our goal is to ensure that all citizens become key players in policy decisions and fully enjoy the benefits of future administration powered by AI. We will continue to prioritize communication with the public and focus all our efforts on realizing a government of national sovereignty that matches the era of AI transformation, creating a happier Republic of Korea for all its people."

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