Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
Local diplomacy gains ground in Korea's central province
Dignitaries take part in the Korea Local Diplomacy Forum in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Tuesday. Among them are North Chungcheong Province Gov. Kim Young-hwan, sixth from left, and Kim Kyoung-soo, seventh from left, chairperson of the presidential committee for decentralization and balanced development. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon
By Lee Hyo-jin
3rd Korea Local Diplomacy Forum explores how cities can expand global partnerships
CHEONGJU, North Chungcheong Province — Diplomacy in Korea is no longer the domain of the central government alone. Local governments are increasingly pursuing their own initiatives, forging international partnerships to attract global professionals and boost regional economies.
The trend reflects a broader decentralization of diplomatic engagement, with cities, provinces and municipalities nationwide adopting innovative approaches to "local diplomacy," leveraging regional industries, culture and human resources to boost their competitiveness internationally.
Government officials and experts gathered in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on Tuesday to examine how local diplomacy can revitalize regional cities through key examples from the region.
The Korea Local Diplomacy Forum was co-hosted by the Hankook Ilbo and its sister paper, The Korea Times, the North Chungcheong provincial government, the North Chungcheong Provincial Council and the Korean Association of Northeast Asia Studies.
Launched in 2023, the annual forum provides a platform for municipalities to share experiences, highlight innovative projects and explore ways to institutionalize local diplomacy within Korea's governance framework.
This year's event, themed around "Local Diplomacy: The Linchpin Uniting the World," brought together around 250 participants, including policymakers, academics and diplomats, for discussions on best practices and strategies for decentralization and municipal engagement abroad.
Participating organizations included the Governors Association of the Republic of Korea, which represents mayors and governors from the country's 17 major cities and provinces, and the National Association of Mayors. Officials from foreign diplomatic missions also attended, including from the embassies of Turkey, Tunisia, Ghana, Peru, Zambia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
"The competitiveness of local governments is ultimately the competitiveness of the nation," Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung said in congratulatory remarks delivered on his behalf by Vice Minister Kim Min-jae.
"Local diplomacy is not merely a support function for national diplomacy. It is a strategic endeavor that projects local governments onto the world stage, strengthening their competitiveness and leveraging each region's specialized industries, culture and human resources."
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun echoed these remarks, stressing that central and local governments must work together to make municipal diplomacy a core component of Korea's foreign strategy.
Participants attend the Korea Local Diplomacy Forum at a hotel in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon
In congratulatory remarks delivered on his behalf by Seo Bin, director-general for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry, Cho pledged to use the ministry’s network of overseas diplomatic missions to help local governments communicate quickly and efficiently with international partners.
Melchor Diclas, governor of Benguet province in the Philippines, a sister municipality of North Chungcheong Province, expressed hope for deeper cooperation.
"We also look forward to expanding our partnership in education and human resource development through exchanges, training programs and capacity-building opportunities for our youth and professionals," he said in his speech.
Organizers said hosting this year's forum in Cheongju was both symbolic and strategic. Located at the geographic center of the Korean Peninsula and home to Cheongju International Airport, the city serves as a gateway linking Korea to major Asian cities and beyond.
"Our province, located at the heart of the nation, benefits from a strategic location and direct connections to major cities worldwide through Cheongju International Airport. We will chart a new path for local diplomacy, extending from the center of Korea to the world," Gov. Kim Young-hwan said in his keynote speech.
Kim Kyoung-soo, chairperson of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, noted that local diplomacy can help narrow the gap between the capital region and non-capital regions.
"For example, Japan has faced aging and low birthrates more than a decade earlier than Korea, and there are lessons we can draw from discussing those challenges. In cases like this, exchanges between local governments are more important than those led by the central government," Kim said in his keynote speech.
Discussion sessions covered a range of topics, including regional vitality, immigration policies, strategies for attracting foreign investment and the role of central and local governments in promoting local diplomacy.
One session highlighted how local governments in North Chungcheong are addressing population decline by attracting international residents. Jecheon City shared its experience welcoming Koryo-saram (ethnic Koreans from post-Soviet countries, also known as Koryoin) as a key strategy of its municipal diplomacy efforts.
The city of roughly 130,000 people has faced a sharp decline in its working-age population. To address this, since 2023 Jecheon has implemented a settlement program for Koryo-saram that has begun showing tangible results.
Unlike areas such as Gwangju or Ansan in Gyeonggi Province, where Koryo-saram communities settled more organically, Jecheon has become the first city in Korea to establish a comprehensive municipal support system, providing assistance with visas, housing and employment.
The program has been promoted overseas, including in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as well as within Korea. So far, 127 households totaling 318 people have moved to Jecheon, and the city has plans to welcome an additional 600 residents.