KakaoTalk as a Public Service Portal... From Civil Complaints Handling to Mental Health Counseling

Kakao's services are being utilized to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of public administration.

According to the IT industry on the 3rd, Kakao recently published the 'Public Innovation Report 2024' and introduced cases of public administration using Kakao services.

First, KakaoTalk is being used to address social issues that require counseling. In August last year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare launched the 'Mental Health Chatbot,' developed in collaboration with the National Center for Mental Health and Kakao Healthcare. Through this service, anyone can conduct a self-assessment for depression via KakaoTalk. In addition, Talk Channel and AlimTalk are used for emergency welfare support and other services.

KakaoTalk administrative services are also provided for overseas Koreans. The National Fire Agency operates the 'Overseas Korean 119 Emergency Medical Consultation Service,' allowing overseas Koreans to receive emergency medical consultations anytime and anywhere without call charges. The Ministry of Overseas Koreans runs a KakaoTalk civil complaint consultation service so that overseas Koreans can conduct civil complaint consultations without call charges.

Kakao Mobility is cooperating with the police. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency piloted the 'Broadcast Message System,' which sends real-time messages to KakaoT taxi drivers during emergencies, achieving the rescue of three people, including elderly dementia patients, in 2023. As of November last year, the cumulative number of broadcast messages sent reached approximately 955,000.

KakaoTalk is also the main channel through which local governments communicate with residents. The KakaoTalk channel 'Smart Yangpyeong Toktok,' operated by Yangpyeong-gun, incorporates technologies such as chatbots, cloud, data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to provide services like public service reservations, purchase of volume-based waste bags, and reporting of large waste disposal. Through this, Yangpyeong-gun estimates that about 830 million KRW in social benefits are generated annually.

A Kakao representative stated, "Kakao services contribute to making citizens' lives more convenient and improving administrative efficiency," adding, "We will continue to support enhancing accessibility, convenience, and promptness, as well as strengthening reliability and transparency in administrative processes."