Statistics Korea Commissioner Lee Hyoung-il speaks during a press conference at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Statistics Korea

Statistics Korea aims to boost the country's global standing in administrative data-backed population census technology, the head of the agency said Friday.

Underpinning the objective is the ongoing address canvassing, which started on Nov. 8 and will run until Nov. 27. The 20-day survey serves as preparation for the centenary population census next year. The collected data will verify and update residential addresses to ensure that they are accurate and complete.

"Statistics Korea remains committed to a thorough survey, a step toward fortifying the country's competitive edge," Statistics Korea Commissioner Lee Hyoung-il said during a press conference at the Korea Press Center in Seoul. "This, in turn, will strengthen the statistical cooperation framework with the global communities."

Statistics Korea Commissioner Lee Hyoung-il speaks to the press during a conference at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Statistics Korea

Over the past century, the agency has significantly advanced its census methods, aided by the country's cutting-edge information technology.

"We use geographical statistical data encompassing detailed information on the population, the concentration of industries in any given region and the number of socially vulnerable income groups. Upon opening up a map on our website, the comprehensive visual aids will help users better understand the country's various aspects."

Many economies delayed or suspended their census operation during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Korea completed its census on time, bolstered by the mobilization of administrative data, he said.

"I had a meeting with heads of the statistics agencies around the world in the summer, and we all shared the challenging experience of collecting data," he said.

"We conduct a 20 percent sampling-based field survey every five years and source the existing annually updated administrative data to fill in gaps during the four years in between. This is a major point of interest for other countries seeking statistical efficiency and accuracy."

Korea's advanced census methodologies have been shared with many countries across Southeast Asia, South America and Africa. Included are Vietnam, Colombia, Bolivia, Indonesia, Tanzania and Mongolia. Korea plans to share its census expertise with Uzbekistan next year.

This year's survey will be updated through existing administrative and spatial data instead of field surveys. Included will be information on apartments that are between five years and 30 years old.

Statistics agency officials will use tablets for electronic surveys to enter and verify data in real time, enhancing efficiency.

The scope will be expanded to include households situated on rooftops and semi-underground dwellings, a first in a nationwide survey.

The data will lead to a more accurate compilation of remote rural area statistics, aiding housing and welfare policies.

The 20-day survey will help the statistics agency lay the groundwork for a full-scale preparation of the 2025 population and housing census.

The core framework of next year's work is to tackle increasingly challenging post-pandemic survey conditions and produce high-quality census data.

Next year's survey will feature user-friendly mobile forms and will offer questions in multiple foreign languages.

Currently available languages are English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Indonesian, Thai, Mongolian, Japanese, Cambodian and Nepali, with plans to add other languages such as Uzbek, Kazakh, Burmese, Sinhala, Bengali and Urdu soon.

Artificial intelligence technology will be mobilized to classify industry and occupation categories and provide around-the-clock support to promote speedy responses to inquiries.

The agency is considering introducing new sets of questions on willingness to get married, family planning, caregiving abilities and Korean language proficiency to better reflect low fertility, aging and the multicultural aspects of society.