Yejeongcheo "Ministry of the Interior and Safety Digital Service Opening, Cost-Benefit Consideration Needed"

Yejeongcheo "Need for Expansion Level and Funding Adjustment"
Convenience Improvement... Significant Costs for Development and Maintenance

As the government expands the 'Digital Service Opening' project to allow public services to be applied for through private apps and websites, suggestions have been made that service expansion should be reviewed with budget considerations in mind.

According to the National Assembly Budget Office's "2025 Budget Proposal Committee Analysis" report on the 18th, regarding the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Digital Service Opening project, it was analyzed that "Since recent expansions of simple authentication services have not significantly restricted the use of existing public apps and websites, it is necessary to reasonably adjust the level of expansion and required resources by considering the characteristics of service users and the cost-benefit ratio."

Train reservation service screen connected from a private map app. Naver Map capture

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to expand the scale of the Digital Service Opening by developing an additional 46 APIs from 2025, following the pilot project of 4 types in 2022, 22 types in 2023, and 30 types in 2024. The Digital Service Opening project enables services that were previously only available on public websites and apps to be accessed through private websites and apps. When public services provided by the government are registered on the Digital Service Opening platform in the form of APIs, companies can link these to their own services and offer them. As a result, citizens can conveniently use public services directly through familiar private apps. For example, through this project, train reservations that were only possible via the Korea Railroad Corporation website or the KORAIL Talk app can now be made through Naver Map, KakaoT, and others.

The issue lies in the "cost-benefit ratio." The Budget Office pointed out that while the project improves convenience, it incurs significant costs for development and maintenance. The budget proposal for next year includes 8.956 billion KRW for developing 46 APIs, 236 million KRW for maintenance costs, and 1.067 billion KRW for platform operation and technical support. The Budget Office expects that "even if no new services are opened, at least 1.3 billion KRW annually will be required for maintenance."

Concerns were also raised that as the number of service types increases after the initial project, some services may be rarely used by the public or not used at all by some citizens throughout their lifetime. For instance, the Military Manpower Administration’s self-selection service for military physical examination is used only once or twice in a lifetime by some conscripts, and using public websites or apps does not pose significant inconvenience. It was also emphasized that services such as the student loan debtor reporting service should be carefully evaluated for appropriateness, considering that government budgets are used to enhance convenience for citizens who have violated laws.

The Budget Office stressed, "For the 46 additional services, it is necessary to thoroughly review the direct and indirect costs and effectiveness of opening these services, reselect the target scope accordingly, and adjust the budget for new API development downward as needed."