Statistics Korea, which was established in 1990, has officially launched as the National Data Agency on October 1, 2025, marking the first such change in 35 years.
Statistics Korea announced that following the passage of the revised Government Organization Act, which included the upgrade to the National Data Agency, in the National Assembly on September 26, and the Cabinet's approval on September 30, the agency would officially launch.
The first Commissioner of the National Data Agency is Ahn Hyungjun, who was appointed as the first internal commissioner of Statistics Korea since its founding in August. Commissioner Ahn will take office as the head of the National Data Agency upon its launch.
Statistics Korea originated as the Statistics Bureau of the Public Information Office in 1948, was established as a first-level agency in 1990, and was promoted to vice-ministerial level in 2005. In 1966, as the Statistics Bureau under the Economic Planning Board, it introduced the first computer in Korea. Since then, it has led national data innovation by overseeing and coordinating 1,363 types of national statistics, expanding the use of statistical data through the National Statistical Portal (KOSIS) and the Statistical Data Center (SDC), among other initiatives.
With its upgrade to an "Agency," the National Data Agency will move from the Ministry of Economy and Finance to operate under the Prime Minister's Office. Based on the Prime Minister's authority to direct and supervise, the agency will fulfill its purpose of overseeing and coordinating government-wide data, as well as strengthening data integration and utilization across the government.
In his inaugural address, Commissioner Ahn stated, "We will actively pursue policies that go beyond simply collecting and managing data, in order to fulfill our national mission to become the central institution leading data innovation."
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