[Test of the 'Platform Government'②] Challenges from Massive Data Integration... Yoon Administration's Operation Within Term Unlikely

Personal Data Protection Act Must Be Amended for Inter-Ministerial Data Integration
Passage Difficult in Female-Minority Parliament
Platform Government to Launch Within 3 Years... AI Learning Time and Huge Budget Also Challenges

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is taking notes on the remarks of attendees at the secretariat meeting held on the morning of the 5th at the 20th Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporters Bomryeong Geum, Aeri Boo, Seungjin Lee] Since the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, many obstacles still need to be overcome before the 'Digital Platform Government' can operate properly. This includes not only the revision of related laws that block data sharing between ministries but also the significant burden of time and cost associated with AI-based data training. Particularly, persuading the majority party in a divided National Assembly remains a challenge.

According to the plan announced by the Transition Committee on the 5th, the most necessary measure to operate an integrated digital platform government is data exchange between ministries. However, revising the Personal Information Protection Act is key to building an integrated database (DB).

Under the current Personal Information Protection Act, personal information can only be collected and provided with the consent of the information subject. To build a DB and share information between ministries, individual consent must be obtained each time, and if consent is not granted, it could hinder the construction of big data where organic relationships are important. Although the e-Government Public MyData (personal credit information management) system has opened a path for information transfer between ministries, it also requires citizens' 'consent.'

◆Reluctance to Integrate Data Between Ministries

The divided National Assembly is a burden for the next government. It is not easy to obtain the consent of the Democratic Party of Korea, which holds a majority with 172 seats. There is also concern that the issue could escalate into a 'surveillance' controversy during discussions. Some argue that consolidating government data into one place could be a dangerous idea. If information from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, National Tax Service, Ministry of Health and Welfare, etc., are combined into a single DB, there is a risk of a 'Big Brother' scenario emerging. Professor Choi Kyung-jin of Gachon University’s Department of Law said, "The Personal Information Protection Act was created to prevent the emergence of Big Brother," adding, "Some individuals want the government to proactively inform them of information, while others do not. Privacy issues are a matter that must be carefully examined when implementing the Digital Platform Government."

◆They Aim to Implement the Platform Government Within 3 Years

Since the core of the Digital Platform Government is 'customized' services based on data integration, the AI training process is also necessary. Professor Kim Chang-kyung of Hanyang University, a member of the Transition Committee’s Science, Technology, and Education Subcommittee, aims to implement the Digital Platform Government within three years. In a phone interview with Asia Economy, Professor Kim said, "When we first made the roadmap, we thought it would take three years to implement," adding, "It should be shortened."

However, collecting data alone is expected to require enormous budgets, time, and manpower, so it is analyzed that it will actually take longer. Professor Wi Jeong-hyun of Chung-Ang University’s Department of Business Administration pointed out, "Since each ministry has different data formats, it is unlikely to be completed within three years." Lee Sang-yong, CEO of Datastreams, also noted, "From minor issues like different data representation methods among ministries and local governments, there are obstacles to data integration," adding, "IT companies are also experiencing manpower shortages, so there is inevitably a lack of personnel to lead government-level projects." This suggests that implementation might be difficult even by the end of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.

It is known that this perception is shared within the Transition Committee. A Transition Committee official explained, "A large-scale data center will be established, and to analyze all big data and achieve the final goals of the pledges, enormous investment in hardware, network resources, and data processing capacity is required," adding, "There is even concern that without very detailed direction and design, it might end up as just a massive business portal."

The Transition Committee began discussions on the direction of implementing the Digital Platform Government from this day. Through meetings, they will receive reports on the current progress of e-government promotion and public data openness. Kim Ki-heung, deputy spokesperson of the Transition Committee, stated, "With the vision of implementing the world's best digital platform government where all data is connected, we have derived three basic directions: digital public service innovation, a major transformation in government work methods based on AI and data, and the creation of a world-leading digital platform government innovation ecosystem."

The Digital Platform Government Task Force (TF) within the Transition Committee plans to finalize the direction and budget scale by the second week of this month. Ryu Je-myeong, head of the Digital Platform Government TF, said, "We are conducting a detailed analysis to determine whether legal revisions are necessary or if it can be achieved through technical means."

Experts emphasize the need to expand private sector cooperation to realize the pledges. Professor Lee Seong-yeop of Korea University’s Graduate School of Technology Management urged that while administrative agencies should operate government data, data analysis and integration should leverage the power of private businesses. Professor Lee advised, "Just as Naver and Kakao handled vaccine reservations when the government system was paralyzed, technologically advanced private companies should combine and analyze data, and the government should utilize it. This will enable the Yoon Seok-yeol administration to provide various welfare services it desires."