Seoul (Republic of Korea), 13 August 2023 – The 3rd Asia Pacific Expert Conference for Criminal Justice (APECCJ) was held in Seoul, bringing together leading experts, policymakers, and researchers from across the region. Jointly organized by the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice (KICJ) and the UNODC-KOSTAT Centre of Excellence (CoE), this year’s conference focused on the integration of evidence-based policy and digital technologies to enhance crime prevention and criminal justice in the Asia Pacific region.
The conference began with opening remarks from Tae-hoon Ha, President of KICJ, who highlighted the importance of crime statistics and the discussion at the international level of this topic. The remark was followed by Hyoungil Lee, the Commissioner of Statistics Korea (KOSTAT), underlining the importance
of evidence-based policy facilitated by crime and criminal justice statistics and KOSTAT’s expanding role as a hub to disseminate information to the Asia Pacific region. In the keynote session, Kevin Wolff from John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York (CUNY) discussed the importance of Crime Victimization Surveys (CVS) to uncover the dark figure of crime and emphasized the role of technology in enhancing the accuracy and inclusivity of data collection.
The first thematic session provided insights into the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS) and CVS in the region. Kyeongbo Sim, Deputy Director of Standard Division at KOSTAT, delivered a presentation on the development of the Korean Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (KCCS) and the achieved results. Then, Jisu Kim, Statistical Officer of the CoE elaborated on the status of CVS implementation in Asia and the Pacific and shared best practices. Seong-Hoon Park, Director at KICJ, Khishigzaya Tumurjav, Senior Specialist at the National Statistics Office of Mongolia, and Kheam They, Director at the National Statistics Office of Cambodia shared their experiences in implementing the CVS in their national contexts, highlighting the assistance provided by the CoE.
During the second thematic session, the KICJ delivered case studies on the establishment of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics (CCJS) service system. Wonshin Hong, Project Manager of KICJ presented on the Institute’s CCJS data service and shared KICJ’s modernization strategy aimed at making the data accessible to a wide range of users. Meanwhile, Jinhong Kim, IT Programme Officer of KICJ presented a case study on using innovative technology to improve the dissemination of KICJ’s research achievements. These cases showed how suitable use of AI can benefit the CCJS in the region. Following the session, the CoE engaged with participants to explore potential areas of collaboration where it could offer support.
The conference provided a platform for Member States in the region to share best practices, address implementation challenges, and leverage digital technologies such as AI and data analytics for crime data collection and analysis. The sessions highlighted opportunities for the CoE to enhance its role in supporting Member States in Asia and the Pacific. Specifically, the CoE's collaboration with regional partners like KICJ was emphasized as essential for advancing the development and modernization of CCJS infrastructure across the region, ensuring that countries can effectively utilize crime data to inform evidence-based policymaking.
Further information on the CoE can be found here, Twitter @CoE_UNODC and Facebook @UNODC.KOSTAT.CoE.
