By Oh Hyun Woo and Hahm Hee-eun

Korea’s successful examples of administrative innovations are being introduced to the additional northern and new southern countries.

The Local Government Officials Development Institute, which was established by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said on Oct. 15 that it is arranging a training course, ‘Local Administration Process 2018’, for 18 local government officials dispatched from 13 developing countries. The course started on Oct. 14 and will be finished on Oct. 27.

President Moon Jae-in expanded the horizon of diplomacy in western and south Asia and along the Indian Ocean through the New Southern Policy. He is also strengthening economic cooperation with Russia and other northern countries through the New Northern Policy. At the training course on local administration, government officials from southern countries, such as Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, and from northern countries, such as Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey participated.

The training course consisted of practical contents, such as lectures on ‘Local Governance in Korea’, and ‘Good Governance and Government Innovation’, workshops on international administrative development and visits to local governments. Local government officials from Korea introduced some of the best administrative practices. For example, Gwangju Metropolitan City’s ‘Drive Thru’ allows people to receive application documents without having to get out of the car. Uiwang City’s real-time smart fire response system, which functions on an Internet of Things (IoT) system, provides a secure space for traditional markets.

The trainees will also attend the Symposium on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Asia-Pacific Region, together with local government officials from Korea.


hyunw54@korea.kr