Singapore delegation studied South Korea’s digital personnel systems
A delegation of Singaporean civil servants visited the government complex in Sejong, South Korea, to learn about performance management systems, digital HR platforms and the use of artificial intelligence in public administration.
Representatives of the Public Service Division under Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office met with South Korean Minister of Personnel Management Choi Dong-seok as part of a bilateral experience-sharing program. As The Korea Herald reports, the visit took place after the countries signed a memorandum of understanding in 2025 to strengthen cooperation in public service personnel management.
Digital HR tools
The Singaporean delegation was introduced to Korea’s performance management system, the nationwide e-Saram electronic HR platform, and approaches to implementing AI in personnel administration. Participants in the trip were also scheduled to visit South Korea’s National Human Resources Development Institute and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to learn about civil servant training and digital government policy.
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Autonomy and accountability
Choi Dong-seok said that South Korea seeks to give more authority to civil servants who work directly with citizens, moving away from a traditionally vertical administrative culture amid the development of AI. According to him, such officials should make decisions based on their own professional judgment.
Singaporean officials noted that their civil service also seeks to take into account the views of executive-level employees when shaping policy and largely uses a bottom-up approach. Responding to a question about mistakes under greater autonomy, a Singaporean representative said that authorities usually try to correct the problem and view it as a learning opportunity rather than immediately placing blame on a specific person. At the same time, serious mistakes may result in corrective measures to prevent recurrence.
This was the second exchange of experience in personnel policy between the two countries since the memorandum of understanding was signed. In June, Korean officials visited Singapore, where they discussed, among other things, data-driven personnel management.
