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| Statistics Korea Commissioner Ryu Keun-kwan Courtesy of Statistics Korea |
Law revision vital to statistical analysis-based policymaking
By Lee Kyung-min
Korea will establish an advanced, cloud-based statistics system whereby closer integration and secure management of public data will be efficiently used for effective and timely policymaking, the head of the statistics agency said in an interview with The Korea Times.
The envisioned system, K-Statistics, will enable easy viewing of a variety of related data currently dispersed across two dozen government ministries and a far greater number of state-run organizations, thereby helping the government pursue an evidence-based strategy to best update and revise current policies with all needed factors considered, according to Statistics Korea Commissioner Ryu Keun-kwan.
Crucial to advancing the initiative is the swift passage of a pending revision bill at the National Assembly, giving a legal basis for the statistics agency to execute the plans.
"Our initiative will help the country better outline a policy that best meets the needs of social service recipients," Ryu said.
A case in point could be an overhaul of pension services to tackle elderly poverty amid an aging society.
Korea recorded the highest elderly poverty rate among all OECD member nations. This according to the Stanford-educated economist is because their monthly payouts in publicly run pensions barely cover 8 percent of their living expenses.
Worse yet, the elderly population in Korea is expected to account for almost 40 percent of the total population by around 2050, indicating that the country will be the fastest-aging country.
"Different sources of pension income information are managed by eight different state-run organizations and government ministries, which our envisioned system seeks to integrate for a more comprehensive view and analysis," Ryu said.
The key component underpinning the system will be a statistical register, a list of administrative information on the population and businesses compiled as a database used for statistical analysis and sampling as well as the integrated use of data for further use.
Examples include registers sorted by population, households and businesses. The use of the list will be enhanced if relevant business data is added in, a basis for assessing changes in business conditions and the resulting corporate performance, as illustrated by fluctuations in income figures over a certain period.
The list is vital in his view to a more comprehensive understanding of how the economy is faring and how the lives and livelihoods of people are and will be affected.
"The order of policy considerations by importance can be outlined thanks in large part to the register. This in turn facilitates a prompt and tailored strengthening of the social safety net in the event of an economic slowdown or uncertainties not unlike the COVID-19 pandemic," he said.
K-Statistics is the main part of a three-pronged growth approach adopted by Ryu, under whose leadership a greater priority will be placed on the paradigm shift in the role of the statistics agency and its administrative capabilities.
The remaining two approaches are a change in data collection methods and enhancing user experience through granting greater access to public data for scientific and analytical research. A stringent review of research plans will precede the approval for the latter to help guarantee data security and privacy protection.
The agency plans to launch a national contactless survey center in 2022, seeking to conduct 90 percent of monthly business trend surveys remotely by 2028.
"We will continue to collect and manage the highest-quality data, a task achieved through efforts of embracing innovative technologies and mindsets needed in the age of the data economy," he said.
