Global MPM Insight

Showcasing the Future of Korea’s Administrative Innovation Son Yumi Deputy Director of Human Resources Development Division, MPM 2. Visit to Vietnam and Cambodia : Expanding Korea’s Administrative Excellence and Digital Government (April) Bilateral Meeting with Vietnam’s Ministry of Home Affairs Visit to the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Korea-Cambodia Cooperation Forum on Public Governance Bilateral Working-Level Meeting with Cambodia To strengthen the foundation for the global expansion of the Korean public administration model, the Korean government has annually dispatched a Public Administration Cooperation Delegation since 2016, based on a comprehensive assessment of ongoing cooperation projects and their potential for overseas expansion. In 2025, in response to global demand for cooperation, the government organized and dispatched a “Cross-ministerial Public Administration Cooperation Delegation” to Vietnam and Cambodia in the first half of the year, and to the Czech Republic and Bulgaria in the second half. These delegations served to share the Korean government’s leading cross- ministerial policies and systems while significantly invigorating policy exchanges. Specifically, by aligning with current global public administration agendas and addressing the strategic policy needs of partner nations, the delegations shared a wealth of policy experience. The first half of the year prioritized government innovation, digital government, and public service capacity building, while the second half focused on AI-enabled government and expanded cooperation in disaster management. These engagements provided a meaningful platform for demonstrating the excellence of Korean public administration and for collaboratively charting a future vision for administrative innovation. 1. Introduction In April 2025, the delegation visited Vietnam and Cambodia, key cooperation partners in Asia, to build momentum for public governance cooperation. Its first engagement was a meeting with the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Vietnam’s premier institution for senior-level training and core talent development for central and local governments, to discuss cooperation measures in civil servant capacity building. The delegation was briefed on the Academy’s ongoing core talent development initiatives: ① systematizing personnel transfers in line with government reorganization, ② raising administrative standards by strengthening workforce capabilities, and ③ establishing systems to support adaptation to organizational change. In response, the delegation shared Korea’s experience and lessons learned in advancing personnel administration. Furthermore, the delegation broadened the scope of cooperation in personnel administration by formally inviting Vietnam to participate in high- level meetings scheduled for the second half of the year, including a global forum and the MPM-OECD Asia Public Service Network. It then held a high-level bilateral meeting with Vietnam’s Ministry of Home Affairs, where the Vietnamese side expressed strong interest in Korea’s civil servant capacity-building and personnel management systems and conveyed substantial demand for Korea to share its experience. The two sides also discussed the possibility of concluding a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen cooperation in personnel administration and explored concrete ways to build a foundation for civil servant competency development and broader public governance collaboration. These engagements enabled both nations to further solidify their cooperative network in personnel administration. Subsequently, on April 23 (Wed.), the delegation co-hosted the Korea- Cambodia Cooperation Forum on Public Governance in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Cambodian side presented on ▲ regulations related to the government’s digital transformation ▲ digital government services ▲ the current status of public administration reform efforts, while the Korean side introduced ▲ the adoption and use of AI in the public sector ▲ the National Secretary Service ▲ civil servant recruitment and capacity building ▲ strengthening legislative and regulatory capacity ▲ digital capacity- building training programs, sharing Korea’s experience in advancing digital government as well as the latest technology trends. : Cross-ministerial Public Administration Cooperation Delegation Showcasing the Future of Korea’s Administrative Innovation Sketch of the Day 34 Global MPM Insight Vol.5 35