[People] Kwon Younggeol Inaugurated as First President of Sejong Lifelong Education and Policy Research Institute

Enhancing Sejong’s Status as the Administrative Capital
Pursuing Practical, Issue-Oriented Research

After passing the first-ever local political confirmation hearing held in Sejong City, Kwon Younggeol was officially inaugurated as the inaugural president of the Sejong Lifelong Education and Policy Research Institute (hereafter referred to as the Sejong Research Institute) on September 16, marking the start of his official duties.

The Sejong Research Institute was established as an independent entity after nine years of joint operation between Daejeon City and Sejong City, and serves as a social dialogue platform aimed at enhancing Sejong’s status as the administrative capital and fostering civic integration. The institute plans to focus on research addressing current municipal issues rather than academic theory, advanced research and education to build an artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven Sejong City, and the rapid establishment of a citizen-oriented knowledge service system.

Kwon Younggeol, the first president of the Sejong Research Institute, has previously served as a professor at the Department of Design at Seoul National University, the Chief Design Officer for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and the Chairperson of the Presidential Committee on National Architecture Policy. Expectations are high that he will provide new direction for Sejong City.

President Kwon skipped the formal inauguration ceremony and instead shared immediate challenges through a conversation with staff members.

He stated, “To enhance Sejong’s status as the administrative capital, I will focus on practical research centered on current issues.” He added, “Rather than a system where policy research and lifelong education are divided, we aim for a system where research serves as the raw material and education as the finished product.” He also said, “By advancing the combined research and education capabilities of the Sejong Research Institute, I will strive to establish it as a think tank recognized not only in Korea but also globally.”