The Korea Research Institute for Local Administration (KRILA), headed by President Yuk Dong-il, announced the successful conclusion of the ‘2025 Korea-China Joint Seminar’ held in Shanghai, China, on April 17th, in collaboration with the Shanghai Administration Institute.

Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the implementation of local autonomy in Korea, this seminar was held under the theme of ‘Regional Balanced Development Strategies between Metropolitan Cities and Adjacent Small and Medium-sized Cities.’ It provided a platform for substantive policy discussions between the Shanghai Administration Institute, a leading local administration research institution in East Asia, and KRILA.

Notably, the seminar held significance in sharing the direction of future sustainable balanced development strategies based on Korea’s 30 years of experience in decentralization since the full implementation of the local autonomy system in 1995. With the increasing importance of local governments, discussions on the self-reliance of small and medium-sized cities, strategies for metropolitan area integration, and response strategies for underdeveloped regions garnered attention as crucial topics for the future development of more mature local autonomy in Korea.

During the discussions following the sessions, experts from both countries agreed that resolving inter-city imbalances requires not only the self-reliance of individual cities but also policy coordination and institutional cooperation at the system level. They also expressed consensus on the need to expand practical, working-level joint research between Korean and Chinese local administrations in the future.

Prior to the seminar, the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize academic exchanges, joint research, and personnel exchange visits, thereby 본격화 (bon-gyeok-hwa - to 본격화) substantive cooperation. This agreement is expected to serve as a significant milestone in mutually complementing the policy capabilities of both countries.

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