4 Ministries, 10 Agencies Launch Public Data Innovation Ecosystem Council

To lead South Korea's era of data-driven innovation, 10 public institutions under 4 ministries, including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, have joined forces to officially launch the 'Data Working-level Consultative Body'. This consultative body recognizes the importance of data-driven decision-making in a rapidly changing economic environment and aims to transition towards data administration and enhance public awareness through the opening of AI-friendly, high-value data. The consultative body's main activities focus on fostering a data culture. It plans to spread a data utilization culture through data competitions for employees and the public, as well as data awareness education and events, and actively seek to discover and open AI-friendly and high-value data through public opinion listening sessions. Furthermore, it will improve the convenience of public services by providing data visualization and AI services, and lead to practical changes, such as exploring data development strategies through exchanges among working-level officials. As of August 2025, the consultative body has already demonstrated a strong commitment to data openness by releasing a total of 853 data sets on the Public Data Portal. This asset, consisting of 813 file data sets and 40 open APIs, reflects the expertise of each institution. For example, the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development provides 94 data sets, participating in national key data initiatives, the Korea Credit Guarantee Foundation provides 45 data sets, including re-guarantee status, the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation provides 148 data sets of credit information and industry trends accumulated over 30 years, the Korea Railroad Corporation provides 297 data sets, and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation provides 156 data sets, thereby solidifying the foundation of an innovation ecosystem. Furthermore, the consultative body plans to maximize the efficiency of startup support policies through data sharing and analysis, in close cooperation with the National Information Society Agency (NIA), and further enhance the transparency and reliability of policies through data-driven decision-making. By regularly sharing data analysis results and continuing discussions for new policy development through regular discussions and meetings, it will play a pivotal role in the growth of South Korea's SMEs and startups and the creation of a data innovation ecosystem.