World
Korea's Gyeonggido Assembly uses digital technology to communicate with public
Korea's Gyeonggido Assembly uses digital technology to communicate with public
GYEONGGI, South Korea - Gyeonggido Assembly, the largest local council in South Korea, is using digital technology, including artificial intelligence, to communicate with and inform the public about its work.
Based in Suwon, South Korea, the Gyeonggido Assembly, serves as the local legislature and has 156 elected members: 141 district representatives and 15 proportional representatives, each serving a four-year term from July 2022 to June this year. Of the total, 119 are men and 35 are women.
The current Speaker is Kim Jin Kyung, while the deputy speakers are Jung Yoon Kyeong and Kim Gyu Chang.
Gyeonggi Province is the most populous province in South Korea, with a population of 14.2 million.
Participants in the recent World Journalists Conference (WJC) 2026, including this Manila Bulletin reporter, experienced and learned about the Assembly’s work at its Gyeonggi Maru, “a space of unity where visitors can experience the birth, values and achievements of the Gyeonggido Assembly, aiming to share its vision.”
The Assembly Affairs Building, which houses Gyeonggi Maru, offers visitors a wide range of information.
Journalists became one-day assembly members at the Plenary Session Experience Hall, where simulated plenary sessions were conducted with an AI chairperson.
There is also the Digital Experience Hall, where visitors can learn about the history of the Gyenggido Assembly.
Visitors can interact with text containing 40 major achievements of the assembly and access information about its affairs, photos, and videos.
They can also use cards featuring content on democracy, local autonomy, and the Assembly. The QR code on the back of a card can be scanned to access more information.
Other sections of the Gyeonggi Maru include the Assembly Affairs Commemorative Hall, Information Commons, Communication Gallery, and the Assembly Affairs Support and Information Center.
Forum
After the tour, international journalists held a forum with Park Ho-soon, the first director of the Legislative Affairs Bureau of the Gyeonggido Assembly.
In a press statement issued last December, Assembly member Kim Jae-hoon noted that there are 419,932 foreign migrant workers in South Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS), a government-to-government employment program that allows South Korean companies to employ workers from the Philippines and other countries.
Of the total, 163,824 (39 percent) are working in Gyeonggi-do.
Kim’s ordinance, passed during a plenary session, supports industrial safety and prevention of workplace accidents among foreign migrant workers in the province.
Manila Bulletin asked Park what measures the Gyeonggido Assembly has taken to protect foreign workers, including Filipinos, from industrial accidents and other issues affecting them.
“I believe this is a common issue worldwide. In order to minimize industrial abuses and to guarantee human rights, I would like to conclude by saying that we, at the provincial level of Gyeonggi Province, will make efforts to establish a legal support system and show more active interest,” he added.
