'Reopening of the Korea-Japan Internal Affairs Officials Exchange Meeting After 6 Years'

Deputy Ministers Yang Preside Over Meeting Held in Tokyo, Japan

The 'Korea-Japan Local Administration Officials Exchange Meeting,' hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, will resume after six years to promote the development of local administration between Korea and Japan.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 17th that following the improvement in bilateral relations after the Korea-Japan summit earlier this year, Minister Lee Sang-min met with Minister Junji Suzuki of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on the 13th and agreed to immediately resume the Korea-Japan Local Administration Officials Exchange Meeting.

At this meeting, both ministers agreed to expand the scope of cooperation between the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications beyond local autonomy and decentralization to include key bilateral issues such as regional balanced development, local taxation, and digital transformation.

Accordingly, from the 18th to the 19th, a delegation led by Vice Minister Ko Ki-dong from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will visit the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in Japan to hold the '23rd Korea-Japan Local Administration Officials Exchange Meeting.' At the Exchange Meeting, officials including Vice Minister Ko Ki-dong of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Deputy Minister Hisashi Naito of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will focus on discussing three common interest areas for the development of local administration in both countries: regional balanced development, local finance·and regional informatization.

Meanwhile, after the seminar on the 19th, Vice Minister Ko Ki-dong of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will hold a separate meeting with Minister Junji Suzuki of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Vice Minister Ko Ki-dong of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety stated, “As shown by the history of 23 meetings, the Korea-Japan Local Administration Officials Exchange Meeting has been more than a place to share concerns and achievements for the development of local autonomy; it has been a foundation for strengthening friendship between Korea and Japan.” “This seminar is expected to be a valuable opportunity for both countries, which are facing issues such as declining local populations and local fiscal soundness, to exchange experiences and information and share the progress of ‘digital administration in local governments,’ thereby enabling the formulation of responsive policies.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.