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Daytime Counselors, Nighttime AI: Bucheon Overhauls KakaoTalk Administrative Consultation System

Policy1 min read

Bucheon City in Gyeonggi Province now offers 24-hour administrative counseling through KakaoTalk. Staff counselors answer during work hours, and a generative AI chatbot covers nights, weekends, and holidays.

What happened

Bucheon City changed its KakaoTalk counseling system. During work hours, people are connected straight to a human counselor without going through the old menu-style chatbot. At night, on weekends, and on public holidays, a generative AI chatbot answers questions using information posted on the city's official website. The city announced the change on the 23rd.

Key facts

  • The KakaoTalk chat counseling service started in July 2023.
  • The city plans to run the generative AI chatbot as a trial until the end of this year.
  • The city expects to switch the service to full operation in 2027.
  • The city also offers web chatbot counseling on its official website.

Why the change was made

Before this change, people had to go through several steps to reach a counselor in the chat. The city also wanted to give information even when no counselors were working. The AI chatbot is meant to fill that gap, and the city will study common questions and improve the answers during the trial.

Why it matters

Residents can get city information at any hour, and they can skip extra steps during the day. The city says feedback from the trial will help make the service more accurate and easier to use before it becomes permanent.

What to watch

  • How accurate the AI chatbot's answers are during the trial.
  • Which questions people ask most often, as the city analyzes them.
  • Feedback from residents that could change the service before 2027.
  • Whether the city adds more features before full operation.

Glossary

KakaoTalk
A popular messaging app in South Korea that lets users chat with businesses and government offices.
generative AI chatbot
A computer program that writes new answers to questions in natural language, instead of picking from fixed choices.
chatbot
A computer program that chats with people through text to answer questions automatically.
web chatbot
A chat program on a website that answers visitors' questions automatically.
administrative counseling
Help from government staff about city services, forms, and rules.
full operation
The stage when a service is officially open to everyone, after testing is finished.

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