* CONTENTS

Challenge The Open Policy Lab Model The OPL Applied to Public Sector Modernisation and Innovation 　Box 1. Open Policy Lab Use Cases 　　AI Adoption in the Public Sector 　　Integrated Citizen Participation and Communication Systems 　　Reducing Administrative Burdens for Front-Line Public Officials Results and Reflections References

* SUMMARY

Korea's Open Policy Lab (OPL) is a participatory policy co-creation platform led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), with facilitation and methodological support from the Korea Institute of Public Administration (KIPA). Rather than serving as a general consultation mechanism, the OPL brings together subject-matter experts, frontline officials, researchers, and private-sector actors at the earliest stages of the policy cycle — where problem definition and agenda-setting have the greatest influence on downstream outcomes.

The OPL has been applied across a growing range of policy areas, including public sector AI adoption, the integration of citizen participation systems, and reducing administrative burdens for frontline public servants. Recommendations developed through its structured working group processes have translated into concrete policy outcomes, from national AI strategies to presidential agenda items, demonstrating the value of embedding participation into routine policymaking rather than treating it as a one-off exercise.

This case study was published to mark the 30th anniversary of Korea's OECD membership, on the occasion of the Open Government Symposium held in Seoul in May 2026. It presents the OPL as a replicable model for mobilising collective intelligence in a targeted and institutionalised way — and positions Korea's experience as an international reference for governments seeking to make open governance principles a core part of how policy is made.