PRESS RELEASE : UK and Republic of Korea join forces to step up cooperation on digital services and AI [November 2023]

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 22 November 2023.

The UK has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with South Korea to strengthen government digital services.

• UK signs a Memorandum of Understanding with South Korea to strengthen government digital services.
• Two countries will work together on innovative areas such as AI and cloud native services.
• Agreement is part of the State Visit of the President of the Republic of Korea.
• The UK’s Government Digital Service will work with representatives from South Korea to share best practices.
• This will allow government to deliver better services to the public.

The UK has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with South Korea to strengthen government digital services, the Cabinet Office has announced today.

Today, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, Alex Burghart met with South Korea’s Minister of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), Mr Sang-min Lee .

This meeting comes as the United Kingdom and South Korea join forces to strengthen digital capabilities within their respective governments.

The UK’s Government Digital Service (GDS) will welcome working with representatives from South Korea to share best practices and explore new opportunities together, such as in artificial intelligence (AI).

Identifying together where artificial intelligence could be used in government services, ensuring as partners we fully consider AIs potential for digital government, and share knowledge and best practice on its application and development.

This will ensure people from both nations get the best government digital services possible.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart, said:

Sharing best practices with the international community is essential so that we can build capability in digital governance and deliver better services to the public.

It was a privilege to meet with Mr. Sang-Min Lee today, to expand our already excellent partnership with South Korea into the digital services space.

These shared learnings will endeavour to bring together the best minds, so that both nations can better leverage the potential of digital, data and technology to benefit the public and further each other’s goals.

The two nations will also seek to ensure ​​technologies are used responsibly, and uphold democratic values, and to ensure there is equal access to technologies across societies.

Additionally, the agreement considers how both countries can enhance their digital workforces, as they work to recruit the best talent in digital, data and technology into each government.

This joined up approach to champion digital transformation will also foster a stronger global digital community.