The Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) said it will release the revamped consumer price index for the first time in Jan. next year. The consumer price index consists of about 460 goods and services that consumers often purchase in daily life. The items and weights for those surveyed are changed every five years to reflect shifts in consumers' spending patterns.
On the 30th, the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) released "One year since the administration's launch: major achievements and progress in national data and statistics." The Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) was elevated to an independent body under the Prime Minister's Office in Oct. last year after the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration. Before that, after launching as the National Statistical Office in 1990, it was an external agency under economic ministries such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The change was based on the view that a specialized body was needed to manage national data quality.
Minister Ahn Hyeong-jun said at a press briefing that the direction of the consumer price index overhaul and item-by-item weights will be finalized at the end of this year, with publication starting in Jan. next year. Ahn noted that costs for OTT (online video service) have been newly reflected recently, and while smartwatches did not exist in the past, they will be reflected this time, adding that it is important to capture the price burden according to people's spending patterns.
The data ministry said it will enact the "Basic Act on National Data" within the year. The bill was introduced last month by lawmaker Cho Seung-rae of the Democratic Party of Korea. The bill defines as national data those that need to be managed, linked and utilized at the national level, and allows the head of the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) to designate them after consultations with relevant agencies and deliberation and resolution by the National Data Committee. It also includes provisions allowing the head of the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS), if necessary for building and operating the national data platform, to request data from relevant agencies, which must comply with such requests.
Minister Ahn said that if data such as medical, financial and national tax information scattered across ministries are designated as national data, people will be able to use them more easily.
◇ New statistics on older adults, the deceased, and owners of dwellings announced
The data ministry said it will develop new statistics this year related to older adults, the deceased, and owners of dwellings. It will link existing government statistics with private-sector data. For older adults, it plans to analyze employment status by age and pension and welfare receipt to help identify at-risk groups that need government policy support. For the deceased, it is reviewing providing information such as cause of death and employment status together. It also plans to analyze items such as publicly assessed values and the scale of liability by owner of dwellings.
The data ministry also plans to diversify youth data. Minister Ahn said demand for youth-related data from government ministries is growing, adding that the youth age ranges defined in the Framework Act on Youth and the Act on the Promotion of Youth Employment differ, so the ministry plans to provide tailored statistics as needed for each law or release visualized reports.