Government policy push spreads to Chungcheong, North Gyeongsang and Gangwon provinces

The Ministry of Interior and Safety's Local Government Officials Institute said Wednesday it is holding a "National Governance Philosophy and Policy Agenda Sharing Workshop" at the North Chungcheong Province Self-Governance Training Center in Jecheon, targeting section chiefs and township and village heads from the Chungcheong, North Gyeongsang and Gangwon province regions.

The event was organized to put the government's national vision — "a country where the people are the true owners, a Korea happy together" — into concrete practice at the grassroots level of local communities.

The workshop centers on expert lectures and the sharing of practical strategies to embed the government's core policy agenda in local communities, including strengthening decentralization capacity to meet growing demand for social care and improve residents' quality of life.

The first session features Bae Ji-young, a professor at the Korea Institute of Health and Welfare Human Resources Development, speaking on "The Direction of Integrated Care Policy and the Role of Local Government." She will offer a roadmap for welfare administration in an aging society.

Hwang Jong-gyu, a professor at Dongyang University, will then lead a session on "Resident Sovereignty and Township-Level Governance Innovation," exploring field-centered administrative reform and ways to revitalize local communities in ways residents can tangibly feel.

Meanwhile, the Local Government Officials Institute held a similar workshop for the Honam region in March and plans to hold an additional session in October, both targeting section chiefs and township and village heads.

In September, the institute plans to hold a workshop in Sejong for deputy heads of county and district governments nationwide to strengthen policy coordination between central and local governments.

Kim Jeong-hun, acting director of the Local Government Officials Institute, said "the role of frontline public officials who breathe alongside the people every day, closest to their lives, is more important than anything else in building a country where the people are truly the owners." He added that he hopes "this regional workshop series will inject fresh energy into our public service and serve as a firm foundation for genuinely enriching the everyday lives of the people."