A service that lets artificial intelligence (AI) check in advance whether you can obtain complex and demanding land development permits will be introduced.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it held a joint kickoff briefing on the 5th to officially launch the AI-based integrated pre-screening permit service development project, which was selected for the government-level public AX (AI transformation) initiative, the "10 AI projects for people's livelihoods."
Currently, to carry out land development such as building a house or setting up a factory, you must check one by one roughly 200 laws, including those related to farmland and mountainous areas, as well as each local government ordinance. In practice, to construct a single building you must pass 23 linked permits, and to establish a factory up to 36, creating inconveniences that take from as short as two months to more than a year from preparation to final approval. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has launched this AI pre-screening service development to resolve these chronic procedural problems and long processing times.
The service is built by combining Digital Twin technology, which replicates the national territory in a virtual space, with the latest AI algorithms. When a user enters the location of specific land or building conditions, an AI agent independently analyzes numerous laws and local government ordinances, including the area's zoning, building coverage ratio, floor area ratio, and activity restrictions. At the same time, it accurately understands the intent behind the applicant's questions and carefully guides the user through the necessary administrative procedures and items to prepare in advance.
For example, if someone planning to move near a city to build a house and tend a weekend farm inputs their desired conditions into the system, the AI comprehensively calculates land area, topography, and related regulations to recommend the most suitable candidate sites. Along with this, it provides a tailored preparation checklist to help organize the administrative process, and it also calculates in advance various taxes, charges, and the expected timeline so users can make reasonable choices within their budgets.
According to the pilot plan, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will begin trial operations in four local governments in December. In June next year, it will expand the target regions to 10 local governments to refine the system, and in the second half of next year it plans to fully open the service nationwide, including a mobile application (app), so both the public and civil servants can use it anywhere.
In particular, whenever a change in a city management plan alters land use in each region, the system will be built to update automatically in real time, and during the pilot period it will actively gather residents' specific requirements to improve completeness.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport expects that once the system is in full operation, administrative convenience will improve dramatically as people can check for themselves in advance the likelihood of obtaining permits and identify regulations that could become obstacles. The preliminary review period to determine whether permits can be granted will be greatly reduced, and the time civil servants spend reviewing complex laws or coordinating with multiple agencies will also be shortened. As a result, the time for document preparation and processing will be cut by more than 30% compared to now, producing an economic effect of saving about 7.5 billion won in social expense each year.
Lee Dae-seop, head of the National Land Information Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said the ministry plans to use AI technology to help people check permitting information more easily and quickly, adding, "We will continue to expand people-centered AI services across various fields, including the Digital Twin national territory and DX (digital transformation) and AX innovation."