Statistics Korea Deputy Commissioner Ahn Hyung-jun (right) meets Abdulla Gharib Alqemzi, the Director General of the Statistics Centre of Abu Dhabi, during the visit of a delegation from Abu Dhabi's Department of Government Enablement to Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Statistics Korea

Korea shared its expertise in data-driven innovation with Abu Dhabi to strengthen cooperation in its efforts to provide more accessible government services through digital technology, Statistics Korea said Tuesday.

A 10-member delegation from Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven territories in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), attended a meeting in Seoul, the agency said.

The meeting was held at the request of Abu Dhabi's Department of Government Enablement, an entity created in 2023 by the emirate's Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The department is dedicated to providing digital government services to better meet the needs of residents and businesses while supporting the emirate's economic growth.

The delegation is led by the department's chairman Ahmed Al Kuttab, who is also a member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

"The meeting focused on introducing our decades of knowledge and expertise in developing raw information or unprocessed data into useful collections of statistics, such as tables, graphs, charts and others," Statistics Korea explained.

It also highlighted exemplary cases of using IT technology to integrate administrative data from various government entities to compile statistics on population, households, housing, and corporations.

In a pioneering measure, the agency emphasized its efforts to integrate such statistics with big data from the private sector, including credit card issuers and telecommunication companies, to serve more practical purposes.

"We were glad to share these efforts with the Abu Dhabi delegation," Statistics Korea said.

The delegation included Abdulla Gharib Alqemzi, director general of the Statistics Centre of Abu Dhabi.

Alqemzi described Korea's data-driven innovation as extremely beneficial for Abu Dhabi's digital transition in government services.

Accordingly, he requested the Korean side to enhance cooperation in statistics.

On the sidelines of the meeting, officials from Korea and Abu Dhabi agreed to renew a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on statistical cooperation, which was signed in 2016.

The Abu Dhabi delegation is visiting Korea from Monday to Wednesday. During their stay, they are scheduled to meet with officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Public Procurement Service, and other agencies involved in digital government services.