Gangnam-gu district office reinvents its service counter partitions — speak and translated subtitles appear instantly on screen. Transparent OLED displays paired with AI technology improve access for foreign nationals and hearing-impaired visitors. Pilot units installed at two counters support 130 languages, with expansion under review based on results.
Gangnam-gu's streak of creative governance initiatives under District Mayor Kim Hyun-gi shows no signs of slowing.
The district has transformed the transparent partitions at its public service counters into digital communication stations, combining transparent OLED displays with AI-powered real-time captioning and translation. The new "real-time transparent OLED communication counter" allows foreign nationals, hearing-impaired visitors, and others who face communication barriers to receive assistance more easily.
Where the old partition simply divided the space between staff and visitors, the new system turns that same barrier into a communication tool. When either party speaks into a microphone, AI converts the speech into text in real time — and for foreign languages, translates it into any of 130 languages displayed on the transparent OLED screen. The face-to-face nature of the consultation is preserved; the screen supplements it with only the information needed.
Foreign nationals can follow the conversation in their preferred language, while hearing-impaired visitors can read staff explanations as subtitles. The system is expected to reduce the need to repeat information or rely on interpreters, and to improve the accuracy of communication between visitors and staff.
When no consultation is in progress, the display doubles as a digital information board, showing guidance on administrative procedures, lifestyle information and district news — allowing a single device to serve both as a communication aid and an information channel.
The project is one of eight pilot initiatives Gangnam-gu selected through its public-private open innovation program. One unit has been installed at each of two counters — the civil affairs and passport section and the public health administration section. The district plans to assess captioning and translation accuracy, visitor convenience and staff usability during the pilot phase and refine the system as needed. Depending on the results, it will consider rolling the technology out to neighborhood community centers and other public service locations.
"We wanted to use AI technology at the service counter to reduce communication difficulties caused by language barriers or disabilities," District Mayor Kim Hyun-gi said. "We will continue to actively apply AI and digital technology in public administration to expand smart government services that residents can truly feel."
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