Korea Institute of Local Administration Successfully Holds '41st Anniversary Seminar'

The Era of Sovereignty of the People:
Strengthening the Foundation for National Balanced Growth and Local Autonomy

The Korea Institute of Local Administration (President Yook Dongil, hereinafter referred to as "the Institute") announced on September 8 that it held a seminar on September 5 at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Conference Room in Jung-gu, Seoul, to commemorate its 41st anniversary.

At the 41st Anniversary Seminar of the Korea Institute of Local Administration, Director Yuk Dongil is delivering the opening address. Provided by the Korea Institute of Local Administration

The seminar was held under the main theme of "The Era of Sovereignty of the People: Strengthening the Foundation for National Balanced Growth and Local Autonomy." It was organized to present desirable directions for enhancing local competitiveness for national balanced growth in the current era of transition following the inauguration of the new administration, and to explore the future roles, specific tasks, and strategies that the Institute should pursue.

The seminar began with a keynote speech by Lee Byunghun, Chair of the Special Committee on Five Regions and Three Special Zones of the Presidential Committee for the Era of Locality and a professor at Kwangwoon University, on the topic of "The Era of Sovereignty of the People: Strengthening the Foundation for National Balanced Growth and Local Autonomy."

Chair Lee Byunghun reviewed the decentralization and balanced development policies of previous administrations, diagnosed the limitations of existing policies, and presented the basic direction and principles of the Lee Jaemyung administration's national balanced growth policy.

Session 1, under the theme "Five Regions and Three Special Zones and Local Fiscal Strategies for National Balanced Growth," consisted of two presentations and a discussion. First, Choi Jimin, Head of the Five Regions and Three Special Zones Research Support Team at the Korea Institute of Local Administration, gave a presentation on "Directions and Strategic Tasks for the Five Regions and Three Special Zones," proposing essential considerations and strategic tasks for successful implementation.

Additionally, Jeon Seongman, Director of the Local Finance Research Center at the Korea Institute of Local Administration, presented on "Local Fiscal Strategies for National Balanced Growth," outlining the direction of local finance for national balanced growth and the fiscal tasks necessary to realize resident sovereignty.

The discussion session was moderated by Oh Seungeun, a professor at Jeju National University, and featured in-depth discussions representing academia and related organizations by Koo Kyuncheol, a professor at Kyonggi University; Kim Taeyoung, a professor at Kyung Hee University; Nam Hosung, Director of Local Decentralization at the Presidential Committee for the Era of Locality; and Son Heejun, a professor at Cheongju University.

In the final session, the Roundtable, former presidents Han Pyohwan (15th), Ha Hyesu (17th), Kim Iljae (19th), and Yook Dongil (20th) commended the Institute's 41 years of achievements and offered warm encouragement, urging the Institute to continue supporting the Lee Jaemyung administration based on its field experience and expertise.

President Yook Dongil stated at the seminar, "Over the past 41 years, the Institute has made significant quantitative and qualitative progress, which I believe is the result of the continuous support from the central government and the 17 metropolitan and provincial governments, as well as the dedicated efforts of former presidents and all members of the Institute. As a more professional and trusted think tank in the era of sovereignty of the people, we will strive even harder to develop the necessary policies and strategies to address current issues, and to realize the dream of a nation where the people are sovereign and everyone in Korea is happy together."