Daegu to overhaul public institution structure for first time in 4 years

Daegu is set to overhaul the operational structure of its public institutions for the first time in four years, following a sweeping consolidation carried out in 2022 under then-Mayor Hong Joon-pyo.

Kim Jeong-gi, the city's deputy mayor for administration, held a press briefing Thursday afternoon at the Dongin annex of Daegu City Hall, unveiling a restructuring plan for the ninth elected-term administration that includes reorganizing the Daegu Foundation for Arts and Culture and the Haengbok Heungjin Social Service Agency, and creating a new Urban Rail Construction Headquarters.

The city said the plan draws on organizational assessments and public consultations, with a focus on maximizing the core functions and expertise of each public institution to drive future growth.

The Daegu Foundation for Arts and Culture had been operating as a consolidation of six bodies — the Daegu Culture Foundation, Daegu Tourism Foundation, Daegu Opera House, Culture and Arts Center, Art Museum and Concert House — and will now be split into four separate organizations.

The current foundation will be renamed the Culture Foundation (tentative) and will focus on arts and culture policy and support for artists.

The Opera House and Concert House will be merged into what the city describes as the country's first performance-dedicated foundation, with the aim of positioning Daegu as a globally competitive performing arts city.

The tourism division will be spun off into a Tourism Foundation (tentative) to sharpen its expertise and operational capacity, while the Daegu Art Museum will be converted into a city-run agency to strengthen its public mission and professional focus.

The Haengbok Heungjin Social Service Agency had consolidated four bodies — the Daegu Social Service Agency, Daegu Women and Family Foundation, Daegu Youth Support Foundation and Daegu Lifelong Learning Promotion Institute. It will be divided into three organizations to reinforce each body's distinct identity and strengthen oversight functions.

The current integrated body will be reorganized as a social service agency dedicated to developing and expanding public care services to reach underserved populations.

A Women, Family and Youth Foundation (tentative) will be established by merging the youth and women-and-family divisions. The lifelong learning institute will be relaunched as an independent foundation with an elevated profile.

The construction operations of the Daegu Urban Transit Corporation will be separated and transferred to a newly established Urban Rail Construction Headquarters under the city government.

The Public Facilities Management Corporation will retain its current integrated structure while upgrading its facilities management systems.

To ease uncertainty among employees affected by the reorganization, the city said it will guarantee the remaining terms, salaries and job grades of current staff.

Employees hired before the original consolidation will in principle return to their original institutions, while those hired afterward will be assigned through a personnel adjustment committee that takes individual preferences and concerns into account.

Daegu plans to finalize a detailed restructuring blueprint quickly, begin selecting new heads of the reorganized institutions in September, and proceed with the administrative steps needed to formally establish or separate the foundations.

"This restructuring is aimed at maximizing the expertise and core functions of each sector to deliver high-quality public services and invigorate the industrial ecosystem in each field," Kim said. "We will continue to reflect diverse on-the-ground opinions to strengthen the competitiveness of Daegu's public institutions."