Gwangju City Selected as Best in 'Local Public Institution Innovation'... Secures 800 Million Won

Ranked First Among Metropolitan Governments in Ministry of the Interior and Safety Evaluation
Praise for Integration and Responsible Management of Public Institutions

Gwangju City Hall exterior view.

The city of Gwangju announced on the 5th that it has been selected as the top local government in the "2024 Local Public Institution Innovation and Structural Reform Evaluation" organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and will receive a special grant of 800 million KRW.

This evaluation targeted 118 local governments nationwide (17 metropolitan and 101 basic-level) that are managing structural reform tasks, and selected outstanding metropolitan and basic local governments with high achievements in public institution structural reform to provide special grants.

Gwangju was selected as the top institution in the metropolitan local government category. Since 2022, the city has promoted public institution innovation not only through integration and functional adjustment but also by focusing on improving support and management systems and related institutions for sustainable public institution innovation.

In particular, by establishing and operating the Gwangju Strategy Promotion Team, an organization dedicated to innovation, the city has reduced the number of public institutions from eight to four through structural adjustments such as the integration of Kimdaejung Convention Center and the Tourism Foundation, and the integration of the Social Service Center and the Welfare Research Institute. The city adjusted similar and overlapping functions based on the roles and functions of public institutions.

Additionally, by establishing a management efficiency plan for local public institutions, Gwangju achieved an average annual budget savings of 40.7 billion KRW through staff adjustments and workforce reductions, elimination of unnecessary projects, and adjustment of labor and project costs by redesigning organizations. Furthermore, the city promoted institutional improvements across public institution management, such as aligning the terms of the mayor and public institution heads (2 years), strengthening personnel verification, and expanding personnel hearings (from 8 to 12 institutions) to ensure responsible management of public institutions.

This year, the city plans to continue its efforts to stabilize public institutions by establishing standard systems for organization, personnel, and remuneration, and by promoting collaboration and communication between the city and public institutions so that these institutions can demonstrate their expertise.

Mayor Kang Gijung stated, "Public institutions have strived to become trusted organizations for citizens as professional management bodies in the public sector," and added, "We will continue to do our utmost for the development of Gwangju, the driving force of Korea's growth, together with local public institutions."

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