[K-ODA On-site in]③Korean Electronic Resident Card, Democratization Blossoms in the Country of the 'Tulip Revolution'

Democracy in Kyrgyzstan Led by the 'Tulip Revolution'
From Korea-Introduced 'Electronic Resident Card' to Video Voting
Advancing Election Systems Using Korean Technology as a Catalyst

"Through KOICA's election support, we were able to conduct transparent and fair elections. We aim to pass on our experience in democratic development to neighboring countries as well." (Karat Abdrakhmanov, Deputy Minister of Economic and Commercial Affairs)

Kyrgyzstan has recently experienced rapid growth in democracy. Although Kyrgyzstan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it existed as a communist state within the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic for over 60 years from 1924 to 1991. On the 11th of this month, the capital city Bishkek, visited by the press, was in the midst of ongoing efforts to completely erase the Soviet legacy and instill the dynamism of democracy.

On that day, in front of the National History Museum in the bustling area of Bishkek, there stood a statue of Lenin with his right arm raised, gazing at the sky. It had been relocated from the center of Ala-Too Square to the back. The spot once occupied by Lenin's statue was now taken by General Manas, the founding hero of Kyrgyzstan. In 2020, protesters opposing fraudulent general elections held rallies in front of the Lenin statue, drawing international attention. Throughout the city, monuments commemorating the 2005 "Tulip Revolution" and the 2010 "Second Tulip Revolution" were erected. This atmosphere was distinct from neighboring countries such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which are still suffering from authoritarian regimes and anti-government protests.

Government officials of Kyrgyzstan, whom we met over two days on the 10th and 13th, conveyed that Kyrgyzstan's democracy has greatly benefited from the support of the Korean government.

On the 13th (local time), Indira Sharshenova, Deputy Minister of Digital Development of Kyrgyzstan (right), and Assel Kenenbayeva, Director of the Infocom Center, are conducting an interview. [Joint press corps of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bishkek)]

KOICA-Transferred Resident ID Card... Utilization in Digital Elections and Administration

Indira Sharshebnova, Deputy Minister of the Digital Development Department of Kyrgyzstan, who met with the press, stated, "Before the implementation of the KOICA electronic resident ID card project, citizens did not trust election voting due to various election fraud issues." She added, "Through this cooperation with KOICA, public trust has been largely restored." She further noted, "This digital infrastructure system project will greatly help lay the foundation for a democratic society in Kyrgyzstan in the future."

From 2016 to 2018, KOICA invested $7.46 million to support the Kyrgyz government in issuing 1.9 million electronic resident ID cards and building the system by providing technical and capacity assistance.

The Kyrgyz government conducted presidential, general, and local elections using 710 automatic vote-counting machines supported by KOICA to establish a transparent election system, achieving an accuracy rate of 98% in vote counting. The nationwide voter turnout for general elections was 55.56% in 2015 and 56.2% in 2020. Presidential election turnout was 55.93% in 2017 and 39.75% in 2021.

The Kyrgyz government introduced an experimental online election method. An online video election system was established. On April 9, a pilot online video election was conducted for the military council elections in five districts of Batken Province. Among 72,000 eligible voters, 800 applied for online voting, and over 82%, or 700 people, participated in the online election. The introduction of video elections is also being considered for the proportional representation election of Bishkek City Council scheduled for the 28th.

Achel Kenenbayeva, Director of the Infocom Center, said, "With KOICA's help, the introduction and realization of the electronic resident ID card enabled information sharing with other ministries, which served as a catalyst and greatly helped modernize the election system."

Pyo Kyung-joo, Deputy Director of KOICA's Kyrgyzstan Office, stated, "The Kyrgyz government is currently digitizing various administrative systems such as birth certificates, driver's licenses, vehicle registration, and foreign entry and exit based on the electronic resident ID card project." He added, "The electronic resident ID card project supported by Korea is evaluated as a catalyst for the digitalization of the Kyrgyz government's administrative system."

Support for Modernization of Kyrgyzstan National Assembly Data

In April 2021, Park Byeong-seok, Speaker of the National Assembly, met with President Japarov of Kyrgyzstan.

KOICA is also supporting the digitization of data and the establishment of digital infrastructure for the Kyrgyzstan National Assembly. In October 2020, large-scale protests against fraudulent general elections severely damaged data stored in the National Assembly, making legislative activities difficult as procedures were conducted manually.

In April 2021, the visit of former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok to Kyrgyzstan opened the way for support projects for rebuilding and digitizing the National Assembly. KOICA conducted feasibility studies in October last year and February this year. From the second half of this year until 2027, KOICA plans to actively support projects including ▲building a data center ▲introducing conference equipment in the plenary hall and developing a voting information disclosure system ▲digitizing and publicizing legislative records.

8. On the 13th (local time), a Braille board in Kyrgyz made with a 3D printer at the Fablab of the National University of Technology in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The 3D printer has made it possible to create geometric shapes that were previously difficult to produce. [Joint Press Corps of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bishkek)]

Along with training election system personnel in Kyrgyzstan, KOICA has also established a 'Fablab' at the Kyrgyz National University of Science and Technology (KSTU), the KAIST of Kyrgyzstan, to support employment and entrepreneurship and cultivate IT professionals. They actively invest in producing prosthetic limbs for vulnerable groups and developing braille textbooks in the Kyrgyz language.

Due to the influence of the Soviet era, most citizens of Kyrgyzstan use Russian and Kyrgyz as official languages. Many textbooks and documents are in Russian, which is not the native language. Especially, teaching materials used in schools for the visually impaired were all produced in Russian, causing difficulties. A teacher at a school for the blind said, "Braille books used to follow Uzbek or other countries' systems, but from this year, the standard in the native Kyrgyz language was approved." She added, "The Fablab's creation of native language braille using acrylic plates has been a great help."