The Current Status and Implications of Artificial Intelligence Applications in South Korea’s Social Security Sector

Abstract

This article examines current applications of ICT in Korea’s social security programs and discusses actual cases of AI application in their administration. ICT is used widely across the social security system in both administration and service delivery. The AI-assisted job matching service, implemented to reduce search costs for job seekers and lessen the likelihood of occupational mismatch, is on track for expansion and refinement with government support. The existing system for identifying social security gaps has advanced by incorporating a wider range of linked datasets and enhanced data-analysis algorithms, especially after the tragic ‘mother-and-two-daughters’ incident in 2014 in Songpa-gu, Seoul. While AI applications in social security programs can bring benefits such as efficiency, cost reduction, and personalization in service delivery, they also pose risks, including added workloads, data-protection issues, and accuracy concerns—all of which require policy preparedness.