Minister of Government Legislation Lee Wan-kyu delivers his opening remarks during the 10th Asian Legislative Experts Symposium at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul on Yeouido, Thursday. Courtesy of Ministry of Government Legislation

By Nam Hyun-woo

The Minister of Government Legislation, Lee Wan-kyu, stressed that government-run digitized legal information systems have become an essential tool in facilitating the development of democracy, during a symposium of Asian experts in legislation and governance, Thursday.

Lee made the remarks during the 10th Asian Legislative Experts Symposium (ALES) held at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul on Yeouido. Korea's Ministry of Government Legislation and Korea Legislation Research Institute co-hosted the event, which also saw overseas online panel participation and was accessed by viewers via a live stream.

"Legal information has been the exclusive preserve of governments and experts for a long time," Lee said during his opening remarks. "However, Asian countries have now set up legal information systems powered by digital technologies and these provide greater accessibility to the law, enhancing the transparency of national policies."

"In the digital era, a legal information system facilitates a country's innovation and the development of democracy," he said.

This year's ALES was held under the theme of "Digital Era ― Legal Information System of Each Asian Country and Development Measures."

Lee said the Korean government is striving to solve social problems and create new values by connecting various types of data through digital platforms, which provide administrative services to the public and new opportunities for innovation for businesses.

Also, the government is opening the entire lawmaking process transparently through the ministry's Government Legislation Support System, so that the public can better access legal information.

In his congratulatory speech, Zokir Saidov, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Uzbekistan Embassy to South Korea, said the symposium is playing a pivotal role in "strengthening legislative cooperation among Asian countries" and noted that one of the three main areas of cooperation between Korea and Uzbekistan is in digitalization.

During the event, Edward O.S Hiariej, Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights, delivered his keynote speech, the Digital Regulatory Framework in Indonesia, while panels shared their views on the development of digitized legislation systems in Asian countries.

Started in 2013, ALES is an annual symposium aimed at sharing knowledge on the reciprocal development of the legislative system among Asian countries and exploring solutions for common challenges that the countries' legislative systems face.

So far, the symposium has been shedding new light on the importance of an advanced legislative system and its impact on various socioeconomic matters, such as ICT, transportation, urban planning, disasters and epidemic responses.