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Seoul, Tokyo deepen AI cooperation through digital administration
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By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul and Tokyo are moving to turn their growing digital ties into practical projects, with officials from both cities discussing how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to reshape public administration.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that it held an online working-level meeting with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Digital Service Bureau on Friday, following a digital cooperation agreement signed in April.
Nineteen officials from the two cities took part in the meeting, sharing policies on AI literacy, public-sector AI applications and efforts to strengthen AI capabilities among civil servants and residents.
Seoul presented major projects under its digital policy programs, while Tokyo introduced initiatives led by its digital strategy division and examples of support for AI use in public administration.
The officials also identified areas of common interest and discussed projects that could develop into broader policy exchanges and joint initiatives.
The meeting marked the first working-level discussion aimed at turning five areas agreed under the April memorandum of understanding into concrete cooperation.
Those areas include the use of AI in administration, management of administrative data and data-driven government, development of digital expertise in the public sector, personnel exchanges through visits and events, and cooperation on digital transformation policies.
The cities plan to pursue joint research, technology exchanges and demonstrations in addition to continuing policy discussions.
“Seoul and Tokyo both leverage digital tech to improve residents' lives and modernize city management,” said Jung Young-jun, director general of Seoul's Digital City Bureau. “Through this meeting, we will actively share policy insights and deepen collaboration to drive tangible results in AI and data-based administration.”
The city also plans to use major international events, including Smart Life Week 2026 scheduled for October, as platforms for sharing policy exchanges and cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.