South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety released a strategy on Aug. 25 to build what it calls the world's best AI-driven democratic government, a plan that includes 24-hour AI consultations across five public service areas and a personalized AI assistant for citizens. The initiative, presented at a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, signals a concrete shift toward embedding AI into daily government operations rather than treating it as an experimental add-on.
The 24-hour AI consultation system will cover welfare, public safety, taxes, agriculture, and food and drug safety. Citizens will be able to get AI-based advice on care services, tax payments, infectious disease symptoms and prevention, and dietary information at any time.
Personalized assistance and disaster management
The planned personal AI assistant will connect major government services, including the Government 24 online portal and its benefit notification service, to deliver personalized attention based on individual needs. For disaster management, the government will centralize safety information through the Safe Korea platform in 22 languages, with AI analyzing disaster situations to issue weather and hazard alerts proactively.
Public servants will also see AI enter their daily workflows. On-AI, a service that supports tasks like reviewing laws and regulations and drafting reports, will launch by December at 47 central government agencies. The government plans to train 20,000 staff members to develop and apply AI services.
Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho Jung framed the effort in terms of democratic governance rather than technological adoption. "The core of an AI-powered democratic government is not simply adopting AI, but using it to achieve popular sovereignty, as in ensuring that the people are the true agent of national governance," he said.
For public sector workers, the strategy offers a clearer picture of how AI will reshape their roles. The On-AI rollout across 47 agencies and the training target of 20,000 staff suggest that AI literacy will become a baseline job requirement, not a specialized skill. Officials who understand how to review AI-generated reports and integrate these tools into policy work will be better positioned as the system expands. Those working in welfare, tax, agriculture, and food safety should expect direct contact with AI consultation systems in the near term. The AI for Government topic area tracks similar developments across public sector agencies. For policy makers, the South Korean approach demonstrates a model where AI supports decision-making while keeping human oversight at the center - a framework worth studying as other governments pursue their own AI strategies. An AI Learning Path for Policy Makers can help officials build the foundational knowledge needed to evaluate and implement these systems responsibly.
Why this matters for government professionals
Government employees should watch how South Korea handles the transition from pilot programs to full deployment. The combination of a December launch deadline for On-AI and a 20,000-person training program creates a clear timeline for when AI tools will become standard equipment in public administration. Agencies that prepare staff early - through training, workflow redesign, and clear guidelines on when to rely on AI output - will have an advantage over those that wait for mandates to arrive.
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