Government 24's character "GoodPy” that provides virtual assistant services. Courtesy of Ministry of the Interior and SafetyThe government has been implementing more convenient and contact-free administrative services by combining AI and other Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies with government systems.

The move is in line with the Moon Jae-in administration’s Digital New Deal policy that was one of the two pillars of the Korean New Deal stimulus package unveiled by the President on July 14 last year. The other pillar was the Green New Deal.

While describing the stimulus package that contains over 160 trillion won (US$141.6 billion) in investments for the next five years, President Moon announced 10 signature projects under these two pillars.

One of the projects was the transition into an “AI government,” aimed at offering people customized, contact-free and fast public services by utilizing advanced technologies such as AI, blockchain and cloud computing in addition to 5G networks.

As part of the transition, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety officially launched a service called “Subsidy 24” at the end of April that enables people to check into and apply for eligible government subsidies via the government’s portal site “Government 24” or its smartphone application.

The new service lets people check their eligibility for 305 different government subsidies, such as the basic livelihood security assistance, childcare allowances and energy vouchers.

The innovative service is expected to significantly simplify eligibility inquiries for available subsidies since applicants no longer need to access the websites of individual ministries or visit government offices in person as was the case prior to Government 24’s launch.

The Interior Ministry said some 6,000 different subsidies offered by local governments will be added to the service by the end of the year.

In the Government 24 website, people can also find a new character called “GoodPy” – a rabbit that will provide them virtual assistant services.

The service reminds people about important scheduling in advance, such as when to renew driving licenses, when to have medical check-ups and how to apply for state scholarships as well as pay traffic fines or set vaccination schedules.

People can also receive needed information and make a variety of payments through the nation’s largest mobile messenger KakaoTalk, the mobile financial app Toss and the nation’s largest portal Naver if necessary.

The Interior Ministry praised Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies for already improving people’s quality of life by penetrating into their daily routines and allowing them to enjoy innovative administrative services online, using their mobile phones as IDs.

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