Goyang City Civil Servant's Idea Patented: "AI Assessment of Outdoor Business Permits"

Automates reviews of laws and drawings and calculations of septic tank capacity

Pilot project targeted for 2027... Aims to shorten permit processing times

Mayor Min Kyungsun: "We will actively support administrative innovation"

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Min Kyungsun) has patented AI-based technology for verifying permits for outdoor business operations, developed from an idea proposed by a civil servant. The technology automates work that previously required staff to check multiple laws and drawings one by one. The city plans to explore ways to use it in actual administrative operations, with a pilot project targeted for 2027.

Goyang Mayor Min Gyeongseon held a tea meeting in his office on the 13th with administrative officer Kim Dongeun, who developed AI-based technology to verify permits for outdoor businesses, and congratulated him on the patent registration. Photo provided by Goyang City.

Goyang City announced on October 14 that its “AI-Based Automated Eligibility Assessment and Permit Verification System for Outdoor Business Operations” was registered as a patent on September 14. The registration came about nine months after the patent application was filed on December 10, 2025. The patent registration number is 10-3021252, and Goyang City holds the patent rights. The city said it is the first local government in the country to patent technology of this kind.

The technology originated with a proposal from Kim Dongeun, an official in the Health Administration Division at the Deogyang-gu Public Health Center, who won the top prize in Goyang City’s AI Ideas Contest for Civil Servants last year. The Smart City Division supported the patent registration process, including engaging a patent law firm and preparing the application.

Until now, processing food sanitation permits and notifications for outdoor business operations required staff to compare laws and ordinances under the jurisdiction of various departments, including the Building Act, Housing Act, Parking Lot Act, Road Act and Sewerage Act, and to review drawings manually. According to the city, this process took an average of at least 14 days to handle an application.

The patented technology is designed to automate the review process in three stages. When a staff member enters location, drawing and checklist information, the system retrieves the building register and determines whether business operations are permitted based on the building’s designated use. The AI then analyzes drawings and photos and checks them against relevant laws and ordinances to assess whether outdoor business operations are permitted. Finally, it calculates septic tank capacity and charges payable by the responsible party, then prepares a report of the results.

The AI review results will be sent to the applicant only after confirmation by the staff member responsible for permits and the relevant departments. The city expects the system to reduce the burden of repeatedly cross-checking laws and reviewing drawings, allowing staff to focus on making final decisions and responding to public inquiries.

On October 13, Goyang City Mayor Min Kyungsun held a tea meeting with Kim in the mayor’s office to congratulate him on the patent registration. Kim explained the background to his idea and how it could improve work processes, while the relevant department outlined plans for a future pilot project and ways to use the technology.

“The problem-solving mindset of civil servants who are closest to the inconveniences citizens face has led to the valuable achievement of patent registration,” Mayor Min said. “We will actively support our employees so their creative ideas can bring real change to public administration, and expand AI-based administrative innovation models nationwide.”

He also instructed officials to review support measures to ensure that employees who achieve outstanding results, such as reducing the budget or securing national government funding, can receive meaningful rewards, including performance bonuses and special promotions.

Goyang City plans to draw up plans with relevant departments for using the patented technology and conducting a pilot project, and to discuss ways to cooperate with companies. The city will pay Kim a reward for intellectual property registration in November and pursue the system’s use in actual operations, with the launch of a pilot project targeted for 2027.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.