Government unveils 41 innovative policies...Officials to answer public questions directly

[Financial News] The government will unveil 41 exemplary cases of innovative policies pursued this year and hear public feedback. Starting this year, it is also introducing a system in which the civil servants in charge respond directly when members of the public ask questions about a policy or suggest improvements. The aim is to expand public participation beyond evaluating policies and allow people to offer suggestions for improvement.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 18th that it would hold an online policy engagement for the “2026 Government Innovation King of Kings” on its online public engagement platform, “Sotong Innovation 24,” from the 19th to the 28th.
The Government Innovation King of Kings is a competition that selects exemplary cases from innovative policies pursued by central government agencies, local governments, offices of education and public institutions. This year, outstanding policies will be selected in three categories: innovation in participation and communication, basic society innovation, and administrative innovation.
A total of 546 innovation cases were submitted by 254 institutions nationwide for this year’s competition. Following a preliminary round comprising expert reviews and an online public evaluation, 41 cases were selected for the online policy engagement. A total of 25,657 people took part in the online public evaluation, up 16.6% from approximately 22,000 last year.
Introduced for the first time this year, the online policy engagement allows members of the public and the officials in charge of policies to exchange views directly through comments. After watching a video introducing a policy, members of the public can post questions or suggestions for improvement, and the official responsible for that policy will respond. The aim is to add a question-and-answer process to the existing policy evaluation, deepen public understanding of policies and gather suggestions for improvement.
The policies being showcased include measures to protect personal information by reducing the exposure of family details displayed on resident registration records, automatic adjustment of subway air conditioning, and support for police patrols and on-site responses using artificial intelligence (AI). These policies focus on improving administrative services in ways people can experience in their daily lives and on public safety.
The results of the online policy engagement will be combined with the results of the earlier preliminary round and used to select 13 cases to advance to the final competition.
The 13 selected cases will be showcased at the “2026 Government Innovation Expo,” to be held from the 25th to the 27th of next month at KINTEX in Ilsan, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Visitors can view each case in the policy exhibition area and take part in on-site voting. The final rankings will be decided at the competition on the 27th.

[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter