Daegu launches first reorganization under 9th-term administration to accelerate economic overhaul

Daegu is carrying out its first organizational restructuring under the elected 9th-term administration to realize the city government's vision of "change, growth and a better tomorrow."

Administrative Vice Mayor Kim Jeong-gi held a press briefing Thursday at Daegu City Hall's Dongin building to outline the changes. "This reorganization consolidates overlapping functions, removes barriers between departments to improve administrative efficiency, and concentrates our capabilities on reviving the local economy and securing future growth engines," Kim said.

The centerpiece of the overhaul is a strengthening of the city's industrial and economic units.

The city will expand and rename its Future Innovation and Growth Office as the AI Innovation and Growth Office and establish a new AI Policy Director post to oversee all AI policy.

It will also create a University and Talent Innovation Division dedicated to university cooperation and talent development, and a Semiconductor and Software Division to foster the region's semiconductor industry.

The Textile and Fashion Division, currently under the Economic Bureau, will be transferred to the AI Innovation and Growth Office to drive the AI transformation of traditional industries and promote convergence with new sectors.

The One-Stop Corporate Investment Center will be expanded from two divisions and six teams to three divisions and seven teams, with enhanced functions to attract large corporations and anchor companies. A new Regulatory Innovation Division will also be established to create a more business-friendly environment.

Within the Economic Bureau, a new Social Solidarity Economy Division will be set up to support social enterprises, cooperatives and community businesses. A Commercial District Revitalization Team will be added to the Livelihood Economy Division to strengthen support for small businesses and neighborhood commercial areas.

The city is also reorganizing units responsible for spatial transformation. A new Public Institution Relocation Director post will be created under the Planning and Coordination Office to oversee the second round of public institution relocations, and an Administrative Integration Team will be established to advance the administrative merger of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

The organizational structure for the TK New Airport construction project will remain unchanged, but the Airport Policy Division will be expanded and renamed the Airport Revitalization Planning Division to strengthen efforts to develop Daegu International Airport. The Urban Housing Bureau will be split into an Urban Construction Bureau and an Architecture and Housing Bureau to sharpen expertise in urban planning, development, maintenance and regeneration.

Communication with citizens will also be reinforced. A Policy Communication Team dedicated to roundtable discussions will be created under the Policy Planning Director, and a youth policy adviser reporting directly to the mayor will be appointed to expand youth policy governance. The Youth Policy Division will be reorganized around a Youth Employment Team and a Youth Settlement Team to strengthen support for job placement and local settlement.

The Press Affairs Director will be restructured as a Public Relations Director, with a new Livelihood PR Team established to expand citizen-focused outreach for small businesses and neighborhood commercial areas.

In the safety and welfare sector, a Women's Employment Team will be created, and staffing will be reinforced in integrated care and suicide prevention. A Safety Inspection Team will be added to the Disaster Safety Office to strengthen proactive safety management of everyday infrastructure such as bridges, underpasses and retaining walls.

The city will also overhaul how its operating agencies function. The Urban Management Headquarters will be reorganized into seven specialized agencies by function, and the Urban Railway Construction Headquarters will be re-established to improve the efficiency of urban rail construction projects.

Asked about potential consolidation of Daegu city-affiliated institutions, Kim said the city would "make decisions after gathering additional opinions from the city council and other stakeholders," adding that announcements on restructuring bodies such as the Daegu Culture and Arts Promotion Agency and the Daegu Happiness Promotion Agency would be made separately "at the earliest opportunity."

Under the reorganization, the main city hall structure will be adjusted from one corps, three offices, 15 bureaus and one headquarters to one corps, three offices, 14 bureaus and one headquarters. The total headcount will increase by 92 to 6,694, reflecting new hires to advance the 9th-term administration's campaign pledges, bolster welfare and safety staffing, and reabsorb personnel returning from secondment to the city transit corporation.

The plan will be open for public legislative comment from Thursday through Sunday, then go before the 327th extraordinary session of the Daegu City Council, which opens July 21. If approved, the reorganization will take effect Aug. 10.

Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho said the restructuring was designed to "correct inefficiencies in how the organization operates, reflect changes in the internal and external environment and administrative demands, and push forward the recovery of the local economy and the grand overhaul of Daegu's economy with a sense of urgency." He added that the city would "concentrate all its capabilities on actively incorporating the voices from the field across city administration so that citizens can feel the change in their daily lives."