Interior ministry certifies 10 firsts and bests in government innovation

The interior ministry said Monday it had certified 10 government innovation cases as the year's "firsts and bests," including two world firsts, one domestic first and seven domestic bests, at a ceremony in Seoul last week.

The 10 cases were chosen under the theme of "sohwaksin" — small changes that citizens feel clearly in daily life — through expert advice, written screening, an online public vote and a selection committee, the ministry said. This year marked the first time an online public vote was introduced, it added.

The two world-first cases were the Personal Information Protection Commission's service to help children and teenagers remove personal data posted online, and the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation's service to help recover money sent to the wrong account.

The privacy commission introduced its "Jiugae" service in April 2023, under which the government directly supports the deletion or blocking of online posts by minors that contain their personal information. Unlike earlier guidance on the "right to be forgotten," the government now negotiates with platform operators to have the posts removed.

Seven best cases were selected from three categories: youth welfare, no-show prevention and the reuse of idle space. In youth welfare, the Nowon District Office in Seoul was recognized for a care center that provides hospital accompaniment and bedside care for the children of working parents, and the culture ministry for an arts education program for children in underserved areas.

In no-show prevention, the National Police Agency was cited for a system that detects phone numbers used in no-show fraud in advance and suspends transactions on suspected accounts, while the Korea Consumer Agency was recognized for setting clearer penalty and cancellation standards for no-shows.

In the idle-space category, Gwangsan District in Gwangju was cited for turning empty child care centers and aging public rental housing into care facilities, North Chungcheong Province for converting space beneath railway tracks in Osong into a cultural complex, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power for building small fuel-cell power units on idle land such as near dog shelters and rail lines.

The ministry has run the program jointly with the Korea Institute of Public Administration since 2023.

"The first and best cases selected this time are precious results created by the efforts of people in the field who look carefully at small inconveniences in citizens' lives and find better ways of doing things," Interior Minister Youn Ho-jung said. "We will actively support so that 'sohwaksin' innovations in daily life spread more quickly and take root in every corner of the country."