Interview with guest researcher Gyeongsu Kim: „During my stay, I would like to gain a deeper understanding of how Germany approaches administrative service integration.“
Gyeongsu Kim will be staying at the NIPAG from June 2025 to December 2026 and he will spend the whole time at the Institutes headquarters in Speyer. We are delighted to welcome him and look forward to exchanging experiences with him. He currently works as a Deputy Director in the Korean central government, focusing on digital government and administrative service integration. Before coming to the NIPAG he was involved in several national initiatives related to digital service. His academic background is in computer science, and he has been engaged in interdisciplinary work at the intersection of public administration and digital transformation. His recent research interests include integrated public service portals, digital identity systems, and legal and institutional frameworks for cross-agency service delivery.
Five questions for Gyeongsu Kim
What made you decide to spend a research stay at the NIPAG?
I chose the NIPAG for its unique position in bridging academic research and public administration practice. Its expertise in administrative law, governance structures, and intergovernmental cooperation offers a valuable foundation for my research on integrated public service delivery.
What do you find inspiring about research on and for public administration?
Research on public administration provides practical opportunities to improve how government functions and interacts with citizens. I find it inspiring to explore how complex systems - laws, technology, and institutions - can be aligned to improve accessibility, transparency, and public value.
What are you currently working on / what would you like to work on during your stay at the NIPAG?
During my stay at the NIPAG, I aim to conduct a comparative study on the integration of administrative services in various European countries, with a particular focus on Germany. Since I am based in Germany, I see a valuable opportunity to analyze German cases in greater depth - especially regarding their legal frameworks, institutional arrangements, and technical implementations for integrated digital services. I plan to explore how these systems function in practice, and how they compare with South Korea’s digital government strategies, in order to propose more effective and citizen-centered integration models.
What can the German administration learn from the administration in your home country? And what would you like to learn about the German administration during your stay?
South Korea began building its digital government infrastructure relatively early. In the early stages of digital government, however, due to a lack of overarching coordination, many services were developed independently by individual agencies and have continued in that fragmented structure to this day. As a result, the country still faces challenges in achieving a truly integrated public service experience.
During my stay, I would like to gain a deeper understanding of how Germany approaches administrative service integration - especially through systems like bund.de, legislative frameworks such as the eGovernment Act (eGovG) and the Online Access Act (OZG). I am particularly interested in how various ministries and agencies share responsibilities, how they cooperate, and how synergies are created among them. Exploring these structures in depth will provide valuable insight into designing a more coordinated and sustainable service model.
What are you looking forward to during your research stay in Germany?
It took nearly a full day to travel from my home in South Korea to Speyer, including a 14.5-hour flight. As this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I hope not only to deepen my research but also to experience and immerse myself in the culture of Speyer and Germany more broadly.
Thank you for the interview! We wish you a successful stay in Speyer.