Kim Hyeong-soo, a public administration professor at Dankook University, speaks during his presentation for the 10th Central-Local Policy Council in International Exchange at Central Park Songdo Hotel in Incheon, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Jhoo Dong-chan
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Local governments should play more active roles in international exchange during a central government-hosted academic seminar, scholars and government officials urged Thursday.
Hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, some 50 central and local government officials as well as political scholars participated in the 10th Central-Local Policy Council in International Exchange to study and discuss the latest local governments’ activities at Central Park Songdo Hotel in Incheon on the day.
As part of the event, the ministry along with The Hankook Ilbo and the Korean Association of Northeast Asia Studies also awarded six individuals for their contributions to local governments’ achievements in international exchanges with overseas counterparts.
Kim Hyeong-soo, a professor of public administration at Dankook University, said local governments should act now considering the country's ever-worsening demographic problem. Kim also chairs the Korean Association of Northeast Asia Studies.
“The term ‘local’ will be gone in the near future,” he said during his presentation for the seminar.
“Korea’s low birthrate shows no signs of improvement. An increasing number of the younger generation in provincial regions is moving to metropolitan areas for education and jobs. Provincial cities and towns are standing on the edge of extinction.”
Kim suggested more dynamic international exchanges with foreign counterparts as an answer to the current demographic crisis.
“A few national universities in local area are now unable to financially survive without international students. They are essential to local universities’ financial soundness,” he said.
“Local government should strengthen their partnerships with foreign counterparts. Rhetorics via sisterhood ties aren’t enough. They should engage in more direct cooperation to counter each local government’s problem.”
Scholars and government officials pose during the the 10th Central-Local Policy Council in International Exchange seminar at Central Park Songdo Hotel in Incheon, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Jhoo Dong-chan
Cho Yeong-jin, a director of the ministry’s regional administration, said the central government will do its best to support local governments’ efforts in international exchanges.
“We see a lot of foreign investors here in Incheon. We will closely cooperate with each local government to study their issues and support their international exchanges with foreign counterparts,” Cho said in his welcome remarks for the event.
Ha Tae-yeok, international relations director of the Governors Association of the Republic of Korea, added that the association will do everything to help them.
“Local government public servants are the most important players in the equation here,” Ha said. “The Governors Association will do everything it can to help your engagement with foreign cities and countries.”
As part of the seminar’s programs, the ministry also awarded six people who made a remarkable contribution to local governments’ international exchanges. The six includes Japan Council of Local Authorities for International Relations’ Seoul Office director Um Tae-ho and Hyeon Jae-hee, a public servant at the international relations desk of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.
“Local governments are actively engaging with foreign cities and countries even during the country’s chaotic political situation,” Um told The Korea Times.
“Grassroots diplomacy has always been there even when Seoul-Tokyo ties had collapsed in many occasions in the past. It could open the spigots of dialogue between the two when summitry fails to find the middle ground."
English (United States) ·