Seeking the Government Innovation That Changed Citizens' Daily Lives: The 'Firsts and Bests'

Ministry of the Interior and Safety Launches Contest for Ministries, Local Governments, and Public Institutions

[Asia Economy Reporter Seong Gi-ho] The government will discover the 'first cases' of government innovation that have made citizens' daily lives more comfortable and safe, select the 'best cases,' and disseminate and expand them across the entire government.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 19th that, in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Public Administration, it will discover and spread the first and best cases of government innovation that have improved the quality of life for citizens in areas such as convenience, administrative efficiency, and facility safety.

The Jangsu Chair was first created in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, for citizens who find it difficult to wait for pedestrian crossing signals. Now, it has been introduced not only in Pocheon but also in various locations nationwide, including Seoul, Incheon, and Chungnam, contributing to enhancing citizens' safety.

Seoul's Smart Pole (S-Pole) has evolved according to regional characteristics by adding functions such as cultural heritage information via QR codes (Jung-gu), emergency bell functions for safety (Jungnang-gu), and rapid electric vehicle charging functions (Yongsan-gu, Seocho-gu, etc.), in addition to its streetlight function.

This contest plans to discover and select cases through the following procedures. First, through a call for first cases targeting ministries, local governments, and public institutions, the first institution that changed citizens' daily lives with innovative ideas will be sought. Among the discovered first cases, a contest will be held to select the best cases for types where multiple institutions are innovating in various forms.

A selection committee composed of government innovation experts, the Korea Institute of Public Administration, and citizens will select the 'first and best' cases through verification and evaluation, including on-site inspections and data investigations. Selected cases will be awarded certification marks, and institutions wishing to benchmark these cases will receive consulting and financial support. The discovered innovation cases will be introduced domestically and internationally through media and the government innovation website (Innovation24), international events, and the production of English content to widely promote the innovation achievements of the Korean government.

The government expects that institutions selected as the first government innovation cases through this contest will take pride and continue to promote government innovation, while other institutions will adopt the first and best cases according to their characteristics and circumstances to develop even better cases.

Han Chang-seop, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, “What is important in government innovation is change that citizens can feel,” adding, “We will strive to discover and spread the first and best government innovation cases that have changed citizens' daily lives so that more citizens can enjoy the achievements of government innovation.”