National Data Office awards 66 million won to seven teams for data innovation

The National Data Office said Monday it awarded a total of 66 million won ($49,357) to seven teams, comprising 16 employees, in its second special performance bonus round of the year, recognizing work that produced new data and statistical services for the public.

The awards are part of a program that gives unusually large bonuses to staff who deliver outstanding results. The office held its first such round in April.

The most prominent award went to the team behind a generative AI-based search and use service for KOSIS, the country's national statistics portal. The service began a pilot run on July 8, and the office plans to make it a full service next year after reviewing operating results and public feedback.

Another team was recognized for publishing regional supply and use tables starting in May, which show what each region sells and buys. South Korea became the second country in the world to publish the tables regularly, after Canada.

A third team developed a database of daily living-population figures and stay information by town and township, along with detailed indicators. The data supported an analysis of the effectiveness of a pilot basic income program for farming and fishing communities and laid the groundwork for expanding the program nationwide.

The office also opened all 16 of its statistics data centers around the clock, beyond the previous 09:00-18:00 working hours, after using AI to eliminate the risk of errors in analytical code.

"We will continue to do our best so that our employees' innovation and efforts for the public lead to appropriate rewards, and so that the National Data Office can always help improve people's lives," Ahn Hyung-jun, head of the office, said.