Korean Association for Public Administration holds international conference at BPEX from Monday to Wednesday

AI-based maritime disaster prediction system strategy unveiled

Reliability and fairness highlighted as pillars of public-sector AI adoption

An international academic conference hosted by the Korean Association for Public Administration opened Monday at the Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center. Pictured is the promotional poster for the 2026 KAPA Summer Joint Academic Conference and International Conference. [Korean Association for Public Administration]
An international academic conference hosted by the Korean Association for Public Administration opened Monday at the Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center. Pictured is the promotional poster for the 2026 KAPA Summer Joint Academic Conference and International Conference. [Korean Association for Public Administration]

The Korean Association for Public Administration has launched a major academic conference in Busan exploring technological innovation and the role of government in an era of AI transformation. The conference, themed "Administration for the People, Public Administration Opening the Future: Technology, Growth, Balance and Administration," runs Monday through Wednesday at the Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center (BPEX) as the "2026 Summer Joint Academic Conference and International Conference."

A special session titled "AI Transformation of Central Government Ministries and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries" drew considerable attention Monday, with participants engaging in in-depth discussions on the direction of administrative innovation and ministry-specific AI adoption strategies in the age of AI transformation (AX).

Han Se-eok, a professor at Dong-A University, opened the session with a presentation on "The Direction and Challenges of AX in Central Government Ministries," proposing measures to secure the reliability and fairness he described as central to public-sector AI adoption. Han argued for introducing a "fairness augmentation model" — covering detection, diagnosis, meta-evaluation and recommendation — to monitor data bias and algorithmic discrimination throughout the entire AI lifecycle. "Because AI misjudgments are directly linked to citizens' rights and interests, the system must go beyond mechanical neutrality and serve as a safety belt for public administration by proactively diagnosing elements of unfairness," he said.

The second presentation was a joint address by Park Jeong-ho, a professor at Sangmyung University, and Ryu Eun-young, a professor at Dong-A University, who outlined plans and strategies for AX at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and detailed a model for applying AX in practice. They unveiled strategies for building advanced maritime logistics infrastructure — including smart ports and autonomous vessels — along with an AI-based proactive maritime disaster and safety prediction system. The presenters said breaking down data silos within the ministry and fostering a mutually beneficial ecosystem with private marine technology companies through a software-as-a-service model would be the decisive factor in the success of the ministry's AX push.

A KAPA official said the session was significant because it went beyond the mere introduction of technology to lay out a legal and ethical governance roadmap that central government agencies must not overlook when pursuing AX — including the fairness augmentation model and concrete talent development measures.

At the opening ceremony that afternoon, KAPA President Seong Si-gyeong delivered the opening address. Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Hwang Jong-woo and Lee Han-joo, chairman of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, gave welcoming remarks.


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