Government Policies Shaped by Public Ideas: "First Prize of 100 Million Won"

Guidance lines in different colors have been painted on the road surfaces at over 900 locations on expressways nationwide. This idea, proposed by a field employee of Korea Expressway Corporation, was implemented by amending the Road Traffic Act and applying it on-site, resulting in a reduction of accident rates by nearly 40 percent. This is a representative example of an innovative idea being reflected as a meaningful policy in daily life. In this way, a "Fast Track" system is being launched, allowing anyone in the country to propose ideas devised in everyday life and have them reflected in government policies and projects.

The Intellectual Property Office announced on the 8th that it will hold a nationwide public participation project called "Everyone's Idea." The "Everyone's Idea" project is being launched to mark the 100th day since the establishment of the Intellectual Property Office, aiming to provide everyone with an opportunity to contribute to national economic and social development through creative ideas.

The total prize pool amounts to 780 million won, making it the largest government idea contest to date. In particular, the first-place winner will receive up to 100 million won. Additionally, citizens who submit one of the top 10,000 outstanding ideas will be awarded local gift certificates or cultural vouchers worth about 30,000 won.

Kim Yongseon, Head of the Intellectual Property Office, is announcing the implementation plan for the "Everyone's Idea" project at the Government Complex Daejeon on the 8th. Photo by Jeong Ilwoong

The project is based on the idea that "the creative ideas of the people will become the driving force for the future of Korea." It will accept not only innovative ideas in cutting-edge industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), but also ideas that address minor inconveniences experienced in daily life.

Through this initiative, the government plans to establish a nationwide open innovation system in which the creativity and collective intelligence of the public lead to industrial and policy innovation, with all ministries working together to realize a "truly growing Korea." The vision of "true growth" is based on the goals of becoming one of the top three AI powers, achieving a potential growth rate of 3 percent, and ranking among the world's top five nations in national power.

The project is divided into two categories: the "designated contest," where participants propose ideas to solve specific challenges presented by companies and the government, and the "open contest," where anyone can freely propose ideas without restrictions on topic or field.

The designated contest will address 10 major issues currently facing industry and society, such as "Changing Our Daily Lives with AI Agents" (Ministry of Science and ICT) and "Promoting Occupational Safety in Small Workplaces" (Ministry of Labor). The open contest allows citizens to freely propose ideas for government policy, technology, products, or commercialization without being limited to specific challenges.

Proposals can be submitted by anyone through the "Everyone's Idea" website from January 8 until April 15. After the submission deadline, the Intellectual Property Office will conduct an expert document review starting in April to select the top 100 outstanding ideas in the first round. The 100 selected participants will then receive support through an idea advancement program.

Depending on the nature of the proposed ideas, the advancement program will provide selective support over four months, including expert consulting, scaling up ideas, prototype production, technology verification, and patent applications. For policy proposals, the relevant government official from the responsible ministry will participate as a mentor to help enhance the feasibility of implementing the policy.

The Intellectual Property Office will select one gold, one silver, and one bronze winner for each of the 10 designated contest topics (30 people in total), and five gold, five silver, and five bronze winners for each of the policy and technology fields in the open contest (30 people in total). The gold prize will be 10 million won, the silver prize 5 million won, and the bronze prize 3 million won. Among the 20 gold prize winners, the top three overall will receive additional awards, and the grand prize winner will receive up to 100 million won.

To ensure the project is not a one-off event, the government will also provide support in collaboration with relevant ministries for start-up incubation, follow-up commercialization R&D, intellectual property transactions, and the incorporation of winning ideas into policies and systems.

Kim Yongseon, Head of the Intellectual Property Office, stated, "I am confident that a single idea from daily life can become a policy that benefits everyone, evolve into tomorrow's industry, and create new jobs. Marking the 100th day since our launch, the Intellectual Property Office will plan and promote the 'Everyone's Idea' project to establish a new starting point for a nationwide open innovation ecosystem that realizes growth for all through creative ideas."