Gyeongju and Yeongyang win top honors (Best); Gumi and Yecheon take Excellence; Pohang, Gimcheon, Uiseong, and Seongju recognized for Encouragement 

Gyeongsangbuk-do has selected eight cities and counties that improved administrative services by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and public data, awarding a total of 14 million won in prize money.

The provincial government held the "2026 Gyeongsangbuk-do Information Officers Workshop" and the "Information Performance and Innovation Case Competition" from October 22 to 23 at Sono Belle Cheongsong, drawing over 60 officials in charge of informatization from 22 municipal and county governments.

Divided into city and county categories, the province evaluated performance, cooperation levels, and innovative best practices from January to September of this year, scoring out of 100 points (60% quantitative, 40% qualitative). Eight shortlisted local governments passed document screening and were finalized through evaluation by three external experts.

In the city category, Gyeongju won Best, Gumi took Excellence, and Gimcheon and Pohang received Encouragement. In the county category, Yeongyang won Best, Yecheon took Excellence, and Uiseong and Seongju received Encouragement.

Gyeongju, which took top honors in the city group, developed a welfare consultation input automation program using vibe coding, reducing processing time per case to about 22 seconds. Yeongyang, top in the county group, developed an integrated inquiry system for 42 types of subsidies for wildfire-affected residents using generative AI, reducing processing time to within minutes.

Gumi, recognized for Excellence, recorded an 86.9% user safety satisfaction rate with its AI-based flood response system. Yecheon divided the entire county into approximately 67,000 grids using seven types of public data and AI to identify priority locations for security CCTV installations.

Pohang, receiving an Encouragement award, built an urban management model utilizing taxis equipped with some 30 types of equipment, including LiDAR and cameras, to detect potholes and illegal banners via AI. From January to August, the city collected some 388,000 urban data points for proactive urban management. Gimcheon expanded its communication network into 8 channels using Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) technology to lay the foundation for a smart city.

Uiseong computerized disaster relief fund management for about 48,000 people, shortening review periods to within a week. Seongju is currently pursuing the establishment of a 24-hour disaster safety control room integrating CCTV, weather, and disaster information.

The workshop also served as a venue to discuss provincial and municipal informatization projects and on-site suggestions. Expert special lectures addressing the latest IT trends, such as cybersecurity strategies in the AI transformation (AX) era, were also held.

Lee Jun-sik, Director General of the Planning and Coordination Office of Gyeongsangbuk-do, stated, "I hope this competition serves as an opportunity to share outstanding municipal achievements utilizing digital transformation and artificial intelligence, and to boost regional administrative innovation capacity. We will continue to actively support the wide dissemination of best practices into administrative fields so that they lead to service improvements felt directly by residents."

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