The Korea Local Administration Research Institute held a successful “Local Council Capacity Building Seminar” at the National Assembly’s Member’s Office Building on the 21st. This seminar was organized to explore institutional improvement plans to strengthen the expertise and capacity of local councils and to design a desirable future for local governments.
The seminar was co-hosted by Korea Local Administration Research Institute, lawmakers Park Jeong-ha and Kim Seong-ho, and sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Association of Chairmen of Korea’s Provincial and City Councils, and the Association of Chairmen of Korea’s Si-Gun-Gu Municipal Assemblies.
In his opening speech, Yook Dong-il, the Director of the Korea Local Administration Research Institute, expressed hope that the practical suggestions presented in the seminar would contribute not only to the enhancement of local council capacities but also to the tasks of autonomy and regional balanced development. He further stated that the institute would continue to provide academic insights and policy alternatives, positioning itself at the forefront of local government development.
The seminar comprised two presentations and expert discussions under the theme “Institutional Improvement Plans for Local Council Capacity Building”.
The first presentation was given by Lee Hyun-woo, Head of the Local Governance Research Office at the Gyeonggi Research Institute, who emphasized the need for a systematic educational institution at the local council level under the topic of “Establishment Plans for In-service Training Institute for Gyeonggi-do Assembly”. This presentation introduced the plans and preparation processes for establishing the first-ever in-service training institute for a local assembly in Korea.
The second presentation was delivered by Go Kyung-hoon, a Research Fellow at the Korea Local Administration Research Institute, on the topic “The Necessity and Tasks of Enacting the Local Council Act”. Go highlighted the legislative need to legally support the autonomy and accountability of local councils and outlined key issues to consider during the enactment process.
The discussion was chaired by Professor Choi Heung-seok of Korea University, with participation from Professor Kim Seo-yong of Ajou University, Professor Kim Tae-young of Kyung Hee University, Professor Seo Hwi-seok of Wonkwang University, Lee Suk-ja, Chief Operating Officer of Seoul Metropolitan Council, Lee Jun-sik, Director of the Autonomy Legislation and Election Office at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Professor Cho Seung-hyun of Jeonbuk National University, and Hur Won-soon, Chief Editorial Writer at the Korea Economic Daily. Participants exchanged views on the institutional requirements and policy support directions necessary for local councils to effectively perform their functions.
Meanwhile, founded in 1984, the Korea Local Administration Research Institute is a policy research institution engaged in developing policies for local autonomy, designing institutional frameworks, and providing advice and diagnosis for local governments. It continues to conduct research to address decentralization and regional balanced development tasks, focusing on the improvement of related systems and policy alternatives.
This seminar provided a platform to share diverse issues related to the improvement of local council systems and assessed the direction of future legislative and policy discussions.