Master’s degree researchers from the Data Science Laboratory (DSLAB, advised by Professor Kim Namgyu) at Kookmin University’s Graduate School of Business and IT have demonstrated their research capabilities in the field of data science by winning top prizes in succession at data and AI competitions hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Fair Trade Commission.

Master’s degree candidates Lee Seung-geon, Park So-jeong, Kim Hyun-ki, Seo Seong-bin, and Seo Jun-won from Kookmin University’s (President Jeong Seung Ryul) DSLAB won the Grand Prize in the analysis category of the “2026 Seoul Big Data Utilization Competition,” hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

This year’s competition was held as a unified event, combining the previously separate “Public Data Utilization Startup Competition,” “Big Data Campus Contest,” and “Data Hub Visualization Competition.” A total of 407 teams participated—a 30% increase from the previous year and the largest turnout in the competition’s history—and a wide range of ideas utilizing data and AI were proposed in the startup, analysis, and visualization categories.

The winning entries were selected based on an 80% weighting from expert judges and a 20% weighting from a citizen audience panel. In the analysis category, projects that analyzed pressing urban issues using data and proposed ways to apply the findings to policy and administrative services competed; the Kookmin University DSLAB research team, under the guidance of Professor Kim Nam-kyu, received the Grand Prize.

Additionally, DSLAB master’s degree candidates Lee Seung-geon, Seo Jun-won, and Kim Yong-hyun won the Fair Trade Commission Chairman’s Award—the grand prize in the idea planning category—at the “2nd Fair Trade AI and Data Utilization Contest,” jointly hosted by the Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Fair Trade Mediation Center.

This competition was organized to discover services and AI models that make it easier for the public and businesses to utilize fair trade data—such as resolution documents and legal information held by the Fair Trade Commission—by combining it with AI technology. Held since last April under the theme “Reading Resolution Documents with AI,” the competition was judged in two categories: Idea Planning and AI Model Development.

The Fair Trade Commission’s decision documents contain information on fair trade policy and law enforcement, including the facts of individual cases, determinations of legal violations, applicable laws, and the results of enforcement actions. However, considering that the legal terminology and complex case structures make it difficult for the general public, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and small business owners to directly search for and understand the necessary information, this contest focused on AI-powered data search and analysis, as well as the development of user-tailored services.

△ Photo: Kookmin University’s DSLAB Research Lab, winner of the Grand Prize in the Analysis Category at the 2026 Seoul Big Data Utilization Competition

In addition, the DSLAB research team at Kookmin University won the Grand Prize in the Idea Planning category for proposing an “AI-Based Fair Trade Risk Assessment Service for Companies.” This service aims to proactively identify fair trade-related risks that may arise from a company’s transactional and business activities, based on data such as Fair Trade Commission resolutions and relevant laws and regulations.

The winning entries were selected through document reviews and in-person evaluations by internal and external experts, and the Kookmin University research team received the Grand Prize—the Fair Trade Commission Chairman’s Award—along with a cash prize of 5 million won. The Grand Prize-winning team also qualifies to compete in the “14th Government-wide Public Data Utilization Startup Competition.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Fair Trade Commission plan to utilize the outstanding projects and ideas identified through this competition to improve actual administrative processes and public services. The Seoul Metropolitan Government intends to collaborate with relevant departments to apply the outstanding projects in the analysis and visualization category to policy validation and the improvement of administrative services, while the Fair Trade Commission also plans to utilize the outstanding ideas and AI models to expand the use of public data in the fair trade sector and develop AI-based public services that deliver tangible benefits to citizens.

Through this award, the DSLAB research team at Kookmin University has been recognized for its research capabilities in analyzing real-world administrative and market issues—such as urban problems and fair trade—using data and AI technology, and proposing solutions. This achievement is particularly significant as it demonstrates the potential to translate analysis results based on public data into actual policies and administrative services.

△ Photo: DSLAB Lab at Kookmin University, Grand Prize Winner in the Idea Planning Category of the 2nd Fair Trade AI and Data Utilization Contest