Assemblyman Goo: "Supporting Local Research and Policy Independence"

Lowering the Bar for Establishing Local Research Institutes
Current Law Allows Only Cities with Over 500,000 Residents to Establish Institutes
Amendment Permits Establishment in Cities with Over 300,000 Residents and 500 Square Kilometers
Gumi in Gyeongbuk, Wonju in Gangwon, Jinju in Gyeongnam, and Other Cities Now Eligible

Goo Ja-geun, Member of the National Assembly from Gumi City, Gyeongbuk (People Power Party), announced on December 9 that he has sponsored a revision to the Local Research Institute Act. The proposed amendment would allow cities with a population of over 300,000 and an area of more than 500 square kilometers to establish local research institutes.

Gujagun Gu Ja-geun, Member of the National Assembly from Gumi City, Gyeongbuk (People Power Party), has submitted a bill to relax the establishment standards for research institutes that support policy development in various local governments. Photo by Kim Ihwan

Under the current law, local research institutes can be established in metropolitan cities, special self-governing cities, provinces, and special self-governing provinces. In addition, cities with a population of over 500,000 are permitted to independently establish local research institutes.

For basic local governments with a population of over 500,000, an exception is made, allowing them to establish local research institutes by classifying them as large cities.

However, most cities with populations exceeding 500,000-such as Suwon, Yongin, Goyang, Hwaseong, Seongnam, Bucheon, Anyang, and Namyangju-are concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area.

As a result, cities in non-metropolitan regions have had no choice but to rely on central government research institutions or regional research organizations at the metropolitan level, which has limited the development of policies and long-term strategies tailored to the unique characteristics of each region.

According to data submitted to Assemblyman Goo by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as of 2025, there are a total of 12 municipal research institutes established by basic local governments with populations of over 500,000, with 8 of them concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area. This system, intended to promote regional development, has instead contributed to widening the gap between the capital region and the provinces.

In response, Assemblyman Goo has proposed an amendment to relax the requirements, allowing cities with populations over 300,000 and areas exceeding 500 square kilometers to establish local research institutes.

Assemblyman Goo stated, "We included area criteria as well as population to reflect the need for policy development that takes into account the unique characteristics and circumstances of each region."

This amendment would open the door for cities that were previously unable to establish research institutes to develop their own policy research functions in areas such as industry, population, welfare, and culture, tailored to their specific situations. Cities such as Gumi in Gyeongbuk, Wonju in Gangwon, Jinju in Gyeongnam, and Asan in Chungnam would be eligible.

By linking this initiative with the government's national balanced development policy, it is expected that local governments will be able to establish dedicated research organizations to independently develop customized policies, providing an institutional foundation for formulating and implementing diverse growth strategies.

Assemblyman Goo added, "We must strengthen a policy environment led by local regions in order for them to achieve sustainable growth. I hope this amendment will serve as a catalyst for genuine balanced regional development, enabling local cities to enhance their competitiveness and independently devise future strategies."

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