Korea-English Statistical Cooperation Meeting... "Sharing K-Statistics System Technology"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] The Korean and UK statistical offices held the 2nd bilateral cooperation meeting to discuss economic statistics before and after COVID-19.

On the 16th, the Statistical Office announced that on the 15th it held an online meeting with the UK under the theme "From Crisis to Opportunity - The Role of Statistics and Data in the COVID-19 Situation."

At the meeting, topics included ▲economic trends before and after COVID-19 ▲sharing experiences in compiling new statistics necessary for COVID-19 response, and ▲introductions of the K-Statistics System and the UK's Integrated Data Platform (IDP) to enhance the usability of statistical data.

Darren Morgan, Director of Economic Statistics Development, stated, "In the UK, indicators such as production, investment, and employment sharply declined in the early stages of COVID-19 but have gradually shown signs of recovery, and real-time activity indicators are also showing slight rebounds."

Director Morgan predicted, "Although uncertainty still exists, all social restrictions due to COVID-19 in the UK are expected to be lifted by June this year."

At the meeting, Ryu Geun-gwan, Commissioner of the Statistical Office, introduced experiences supporting the K-quarantine system through rapid production of statistical information such as daily price surveys of COVID-19 prevention items and analysis of population movement impacts before and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

He also explained that the 'K-Statistics System,' which enables linkage and integration among various data while protecting personal information, is currently being established.

Going forward, the Statistical Office plans to promote statistical cooperation with advanced countries including the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada to share advanced techniques related to statistical responses in crisis situations.