On 14 September, in Seoul, on the sidelines of the first Central Asia–Republic of Korea Summit, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Data and Statistics of the Republic of Korea.

The document was signed by Maxat Turlubayev, Head of the Bureau of National Statistics, and Hyungjun Ahn, Minister of Data and Statistics of the Republic of Korea.

The Memorandum is aimed at further strengthening institutional partnership between the two countries, expanding the exchange of advanced knowledge and expertise, and implementing joint initiatives in the field of modern data and official statistics.

“We view this agreement not simply as a formal document, but as an important step towards strengthening our long-term partnership, exchanging advanced knowledge and jointly developing a modern statistical system that meets the new requirements of the digital economy,” said Maxat Turlubayev, Head of the Bureau of National Statistics.

One of the key areas of cooperation will be the digital transformation of statistics. The two sides intend to develop cooperation in the application of artificial intelligence and big data, the use of alternative data sources, the improvement of statistical analysis methods, the digitalization of data collection and dissemination processes, and the development of modern information systems.

Cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea in this area already has a practical foundation. In June this year, a delegation of the Bureau of National Statistics visited the Republic of Korea for a study visit. Kazakh specialists studied the Korean experience in applying artificial intelligence and big data in statistics, developing information systems for data collection and dissemination, as well as integrating statistical and geospatial information.

Thus, the signed Memorandum provides a framework for bringing the experience gained to a more systematic format of cooperation, including the exchange of experts and knowledge, the organization of joint events and research, and the development and implementation of new projects.

Another area of Kazakhstan’s international cooperation with the Korean side involves engagement with the academic community. Earlier, the Bureau signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Graduate School of Public Health of Seoul National University. The partnership provides for the development of joint research in the fields of demography, statistics and public health and is of particular importance for the work of Kazakhstan’s Centre for Analysis and Forecasting of Demographic Processes.