Global MPM Insight

Showcasing the Future of Korea’s Administrative Innovation In the second half of the year, a Cross-ministerial Public Administration Cooperation Delegation led by Yun Hojung, Minister of the Interior and Safety(MOIS), and comprising the Ministry of Personnel Management (MPM), the National Agency for Administrative City Construction (NAACC), the National Fire Agency (NFA), and the National Disaster Management Research Institute (NDMI), visited the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. This visit served as a pivotal opportunity to disseminate South Korea’s administrative innovation model across Central and Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on expanding cooperation in AI- driven government and disaster management. The delegation visited the Czech Republic from December 8 to 10 and convened the Korea-Czech Republic Cooperation Roundtable on Public Governance. At the request of the Czech Ministry of the Interior, the Roundtable was organized to expand cooperation in improving public services, leveraging public data, promoting regional development, and strengthening civil servant capacity building. At the Roundtable, held under the theme of “A Capable, Problem-Solving Government in the AI and Digital Era,” participants engaged in in-depth discussions on policy cases and future directions for cooperation, focusing on ▲ the adoption of AI in the public sector, ▲ public governance innovation, ▲ civil servant talent development systems, and ▲ strengthening disaster and safety capabilities. In particular, during the session, the MPM outlined its plans to apply AI in its personnel administration, highlighting key initiatives such as an AI-powered HR consultation agent (“HR Secretary”) designed to provide accurate, policy-officer-level responses to inquiries across all HR domains, such as personnel, duty/attendance management, payroll, and disaster compensation, as well as an implementation plan for an AI-powered classification system for civil servant disaster types that analyzes incident and disaster patterns. Following the session, the delegation visited Bulgaria and, together with Bulgaria’s Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of e-Government, co-hosted the Korea-Bulgaria Cooperation Forum on Public Governance. At the forum, public officials and experts from both countries 3. Cross-ministerial Public Administration Cooperation Delegation : Spreading the “K-Administrative Wave” across Central and Eastern Europe (December) Korea-Czech Republic Cooperation Roundtable on Public Governace presented policy cases and discussed opportunities for cooperation, focusing on areas of particular interest to Bulgaria such as ▲ data management and AI, ▲ digital identification, and ▲ fire response. As its final program, the delegation visited the National Institute of Public Administration and was briefed on its role and achievements as an institution established to provide professional training for civil servants and strengthen public service capabilities. In response to the AI transformation, the Institute introduced the concept of an “AI Readiness Index,” explaining that it is presenting the first national-level baseline for the AI readiness of Bulgaria’s public governance. It also reported that it systematically measures institutional capacity for AI adoption, as well as civil servants’ technical skills and readiness, and is building an administrative system aligned with international standards for responsible, human-centered AI. In turn, the delegation introduced Korea’s public data openness policy and presented the vision of an “AI Democratic Government,” in which the benefits of AI are shared by all citizens. Meanwhile, as the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) of Bulgaria signed an MOU on public-sector HRD cooperation with Korea’s National HRD Institute (NHI) in June 2022, continued collaboration in the field of human resources development is expected going forward. Korea - Bulgarian Cooperation Forum on Public Governance Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS). (2025, April/December). Press releases. Cross-ministerial Public Administration Cooperation Delegation official overseas mission report. References Since 2016, the Korean government has annually organized and dispatched Cross-ministerial Public Administration Cooperation Delegations to showcase the strengths of Korean public governance and to share policy expertise. Following the delegation’s visit to Vietnam in the first half of the year, sustained working- level consultations culminated in a significant milestone: the signing of an MOU on cooperation in public personnel administration between Korea’s Ministry of Personnel Management (MPM) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs during the state visit of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam in August 2025. Furthermore, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria are strategically important partners for disseminating Korea’s public governance innovation model across Central and Eastern Europe. The latest visit is expected to further consolidate the existing strategic and comprehensive partnership and to serve as a turning point in expanding the scope of cooperation beyond economic and diplomatic ties to include the field of public administration. 4. Outcomes and Implications AI-Powered Incident Classification System 36 Global MPM Insight Vol.5 37