Korea Institute of Local Administration and CLAIR Successfully Conclude "Korea-Japan Joint Seminar"

In-Depth Discussion on Resident-Centered Administrative Innovation and Strategies for Regional Revitalization

The Korea Institute of Local Administration (President Yook Dongil) and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) of Japan successfully concluded the "16th Korea-Japan Joint Seminar" on October 14, 2025, at the International Conference Room of the Seoul Federation of Banks Building.

Yook Dongil, President of the Korea Research Institute for Local Administration, and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) of Japan are taking a commemorative photo after holding the "16th Korea-Japan Joint Seminar" on the 14th at the International Conference Room of the Seoul Bankers Hall. Provided by Korea Research Institute for Local Administration

This seminar, held under the theme of "Innovation in Local Administration and Regional Revitalization," provided a meaningful opportunity for local governments and experts from both countries to explore policy solutions for resident-centered administrative innovation and enhancing regional vitality.

At the opening ceremony, Yook Dongil, President of the Korea Institute of Local Administration, emphasized that while Korea and Japan operate within different institutional and social environments, they are simultaneously facing significant common challenges such as population decline, regional extinction, economic stagnation, administrative innovation, and digital transformation.

He also expressed hope that, at a time when resident-centered policy design and local government-led innovation are more important than ever, this seminar would serve as a starting point for both countries' local governments to jointly design a future vision for shared development.

Following this, Kiyoshi Koike, Director of CLAIR; Kim Minjae, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety; and Kazuyoshi Oonishi, Minister of the Embassy of Japan in Korea, delivered congratulatory remarks, unanimously highlighting the significance of the seminar and the importance of cooperation between local governments in both countries.

In the keynote speech, Choi Woncheol, Mayor of Gongju City, introduced various strategies implemented to expand the resident population and overcome the crisis of regional extinction and population decline.

Mayor Choi presented cases where Gongju City has increased its resident population and revitalized the region through stay-type tourism and cultural programs, such as the "Onnuri Gongju Citizen System," revitalization of the royal downtown area, year-round festivals, and activation of traditional markets.

Next, Takafumi Morinaka, Mayor of Moriyama City in Japan, shared experiences in "community building," where residents themselves become the main agents of regional development, and highlighted cases where resident-participatory governance has contributed to the restoration of local communities.

In Session 1, Shinya Tabayashi, CEO of Satoyakuba in Japan, first introduced a resident-led autonomy model reflecting local climate and lifestyle culture under the theme of "Practicing Climate-Based Autonomy."

Following this, Lee Jaeyong, Center Director at the Korea Institute of Local Administration, presented "Resident-Centered, Locally-Led Smart Local Administration: Current Status and Challenges," outlining directions for building smart governance through data-driven administrative innovation, utilization of public data, and digital transformation.

In Session 2, Hiroshi Tomonaga, Director of the Nagasaki Prefecture Seoul Office, introduced "International Exchange and Regional Culture in Nagasaki Prefecture," sharing strategies for revitalizing the regional economy by utilizing international exchanges and cultural resources.

Lim Hyemi, Senior Researcher at the Korea Tourism Organization, then proposed customized tourism activation measures and strategies to expand the resident population through "Tourism Profiling Analysis in Areas with Declining Populations."

The final comprehensive discussion was moderated by Yoo Minbong, Secretary-General of the Association of Governors of Korea.

Experts from academia, research institutes, and local governments in Korea and Japan participated to discuss topics such as institutionalization of resident-centered administrative innovation, the potential linkage between tourism policy and population expansion, and ways to strengthen joint research and exchange cooperation between local governments of both countries.

In particular, major issues included the possibility of combining Korea's smart administration experience with Japan's resident autonomy experiments, the ripple effects of stay-type tourism on regional economies and population policy, and the expansion of sister city cooperation based on local cultural exchanges such as those between Gongju City and Moriyama City.

This seminar served as an opportunity to share concrete experiences of local governments in both countries, including Gongju City and Moriyama City, seek policy solutions to common challenges faced by local governments, and strengthen the foundation for cooperation.

President Yook Dongil stated, "I hope today's discussions will serve as a starting point for finding creative and sustainable development directions across local administration," and expressed the Korea Institute of Local Administration's commitment to actively identifying innovative approaches to local administration and strategies to enhance regional vitality that residents can truly experience.

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