[Seoul, Now]AI, Seoul Should Follow Zhejiang's Example Too

Zhejiang Civil Servants Embark on Intensive AI Training
Challenging to Keep Up With Current Methods
For the Future, Speed Matters as Much as Direction

Kim Min-jin, Head of the Local Government Team, Social Affairs Department

Three hundred thousand civil servants in Zhejiang Province, China, have started intensive AI learning. Zhejiang Province is home to DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup that has amazed the world. DeepSeek's achievements, which have humbled the US that once regarded AI as its exclusive domain, are not just the work of startups. Zhejiang's population exceeds 56 million, more than that of South Korea. Zhejiang University, representing the province, stands shoulder to shoulder with China's top prestigious universities such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Moreover, 300,000 civil servants in Zhejiang Province are undergoing four months of online and offline training. The training features top experts, scholars, and entrepreneurs from China's AI industry. According to the Chinese state-run Global Times, these experts are imparting AI knowledge and DeepSeek utilization methods. Such an initiative would be unimaginable in many other countries. The so-called "DeepSeek incident," which shocked the world including the US, actually stemmed from this kind of Chinese strength.

What about South Korea? Local governments here have also started increasing education and support to enhance civil servants' AI administrative capabilities. Seoul City has expanded the number of civil servants eligible for usage fee support for AI tools such as ChatGPT to 570 this year to improve their AI skills. Some Seoul civil servants are using AI for document writing, data research, and data analysis. AI education through the Digital Foundation is also increasing.

Among the districts, Seongdong-gu began pilot operation of "SeongdongGPT" earlier this month. SeongdongGPT is an in-house work support system based on ChatGPT. AI work support systems help automate repetitive and standardized tasks. Drafts of reports, plans, and press releases are created using ChatGPT, and it is also used for translation, phrase correction, and image generation. AI assistants tailored to the characteristics of each department can also be created and used.

Songpa-gu has developed its own system called "Songpa AI Brain" and has been running a pilot since last month. Using Songpa AI Brain, civil servants can quickly receive various assistance such as document summarization, report writing, and searching administrative information like laws and guidelines related to their work. Training for civil servants is also conducted to increase system utilization. Advanced development is underway to add specialized functions tailored to the characteristics of each department's work.

Dongdaemun-gu encourages AI use by holding internal competitions. Through this method, they analyze repetitive work patterns and seek ways to improve efficiency using AI tools, as well as ideas that help administration. To promote AI use, they also support budgets for paid versions of ChatGPT, as civil servants might hesitate to use it if they have to pay out of pocket.

The reason for adoption needs no lengthy explanation. Cultivating civil servants with digital capabilities is national competitiveness. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "In the future, the ability to utilize AI in civil servant work is not a choice but a necessity." However, one point must be emphasized. Leaders within organizations who hold decision-making power may be insensitive to new technology trends. This can slow down AI adoption and application. It is necessary to benchmark other advanced local governments and listen carefully to young employees who excel in AI utilization. The current budget planning and execution methods make rapid education and utilization difficult. Planning and executing budgets in the following year makes it hard even to catch up.

There was a time when being good at Excel and writing reports well was highly valued. Now, it is an era where a few lines of text and a single press of the Enter key can solve the task. Speed is as important as direction.