[IT Cafe] "Unprecedented Success"... Why the Officer Behind the 'Dokpamo Project' Received 10 Million Won

Ministry of Science and ICT Selects First Recipients of the "1st Special Achievement Reward System"
Deputy Prime Minister Paik Kyunghoon: "Creating Results Through Bold Compensation"

Paik Kyunghoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, is taking a commemorative photo with the awardees at the "Special Achievement Award Ceremony" held on the afternoon of the 2nd at the Government Sejong Complex in Sejong Special Self-Governing City. From the top row, left to right: Jeon Seunghoon, Digital Innovation Officer at Korea Post Headquarters; Paik Kyunghoon, Deputy Prime Minister; Kim Miyoung, Head of Postal Information Division at Korea Post Headquarters; Lee Hyunwoo, Officer of AI Technology-Based Policy Division.

"I believe the passionate and innovative ideas of this officer played a major role in drawing nationwide attention to the 'Independent Artificial Intelligence (AI) Foundation Model (Dokpamo)' project."

On the 2nd, the Ministry of Science and ICT drew attention by granting an exceptional reward of 10 million won to the officer who planned the Dokpamo project, which selects a national AI. This reward follows President Lee Jaemyung's directive in December last year to "ensure bold compensation for public officials who achieve outstanding results." In response, the Ministry of Science and ICT established a Special Achievement Reward System and, as the first case among its policy divisions, selected a recipient for the award.

The main awardee is Officer Lee Hyunwoo of the AI Technology-Based Policy Division. Officer Lee oversaw the Dokpamo project and was recognized for contributing to "expanding the foundation of an independent AI ecosystem from a full life-cycle perspective, including AI models, AI infrastructure, and AI technology." A reward of 3.5 million won was also granted to Deputy Contributor Section Chief Jang Gichul.

In particular, Officer Lee was selected for the award because he introduced a survival-style format into the Dokpamo project, which could easily have been dismissed as a highly specialized area, and thereby turned it into a popular success. The public watched as companies participating in the project underwent stage-by-stage evaluations in fierce competition and survived through fair rivalry.

Officer Lee, who entered public service through the 60th Grade-5 Technical Civil Service Examination and graduated from Korea University's School of Electrical, Electronic and Radio Engineering, said in a phone call with The Asia Business Daily on February 3, "While other ministries mainly respond to current issues, I thought the Ministry of Science and ICT is a ministry that opens up the future, so I chose it as my first preference and came to work here," adding, "Since the final selection process still remains, I will work even harder going forward."

Regarding recent controversy over the independence of the Dokpamo project, Officer Lee said, "Rather than the government presenting quantitative targets, I strongly proposed that we should catch up with the latest global models while allowing companies to grow autonomously," and emphasized, "The biggest issue in AI is uncertainty, and it is important to acknowledge that uncertainty and respond flexibly in line with it."

In addition, Section Chief Jeon Seunghoon, the main contributor who helped "rapidly respond to the fire at the National Information Resources Service and quickly normalize nationwide postal and financial services," and Section Chief Kim Miyoung, the deputy contributor, also received rewards of 10 million won and 3.5 million won, respectively.

Deputy Prime Minister Paik Kyunghoon said, "This reward is intended to spread a culture in which public officials take the initiative in implementing innovation," adding, "We will continue to generate innovative policy outcomes that the public can truly feel through fair evaluations and bold compensation." Following this reward, he also called for establishing a separate reward system within the Ministry of Science and ICT to boost staff morale. An official from the ministry said, "Since the promotion of the minister to deputy prime minister, employees' workloads have increased significantly," adding, "The reward system will greatly help boost employee morale."

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