Fosters an international mindset among public officials in charge of international exchange at local governments and provides networking opportunities between the Governors Association, local governments, and overseas offices.
| Period | March–April annually (1 night, 2 days) |
|---|---|
| Participants | Officials in charge of international exchange from metropolitan cities and municipalities (si/do and si/gun/gu), and staff of the Governors Association and its overseas offices |
| Main Content | Introduction to local diplomacy programs by the Governors Association and overseas offices, special lectures, networking with overseas office staff, presentations of best practices, etc. |
Identifies and shares outstanding cases of local internationalization, offering opportunities for information exchange and benchmarking among local governments.
| Participants | 243 local governments (17 metropolitan governments, 226 basic local governments) |
|---|---|
| Submission Content | Cases that enhanced friendly relations with foreign local governments through sister city agreements or cooperative partnerships, and cases that contributed to revitalizing the local economy and promoting regional development through attracting foreign investment or hosting international events. |
| Awards | Focused on regions not covered by the Association’s overseas offices (e.g., Vietnam, Russia and CIS countries, Africa) |
Operates practical, work-focused training programs to strengthen the expertise of public officials in international exchange at the metropolitan and municipal levels.
| Number of Sessions | In-person courses (4 sessions), on-site training at local governments (as needed) |
|---|---|
| Participants | Public officials from metropolitan cities and municipalities (si/do, si/gun/gu) |
| Training Content |
In-person training: Practical training in international exchange and event management, benchmarking of best practices, regional programs, etc. On-site training: Lectures or courses on local diplomacy topics tailored to the requesting local government |
Quickly identifies and shares excellent overseas administrative practices to provide local public officials with policy development ideas and strengthen the competitiveness of local administration in the Republic of Korea.
| Participants | Local public officials dispatched to overseas offices |
|---|---|
| Fields of Identification | Public officials from metropolitan cities and municipalities (si/do, si/gun/gu) |
| Main Content | Administrative best practices in various sectors (general administration, finance and taxation, culture and tourism, transportation, environment, welfare, health, women and youth, multiculturalism, social economy and industry, labor, agriculture and fisheries, construction technology, firefighting and disaster management, local assemblies, legal regulations, domestic administrative cases) |
| Methods of Identification | Field visits, research reports, international periodicals, newspapers, etc. |
| Dissemination | Real-time sharing via online platforms |
Invites foreign ambassadors or diplomatic staff based in the Republic of Korea to introduce the Governors Association and local government programs, and to provide opportunities for cooperation with local governments—encouraging greater interest and support for local diplomacy by foreign diplomatic missions.
| Timing | December |
|---|---|
| Participants | Ambassadors of diplomatic missions in the Republic of Korea |
| Main Content | Promotion of international events hosted by local governments, remarks from the President of the Governors Association, and collection of opinions from ambassadors of foreign diplomatic missions in the Republic of Korea, etc. |
| Timing | June |
|---|---|
| Participants | Working-level diplomatic staff (Counselors and below) and local government officials |
| Main Content | One-on-one consultation meetings between foreign diplomatic staff and domestic local government officials to discuss specific cooperation initiatives |
Jointly implemented by the Governors Association and metropolitan cities/provinces to provide focused support for key internationalization projects under the 8th popularly elected local administration.
| Period | Year-round (as requested by local governments) |
|---|---|
| Participants | Metropolitan cities and provinces (pilot launched in 2023) |
| Main Content | Invitation of high-level foreign dignitaries and foreign diplomatic missions based in the Republic of Korea |
| Hosts | Governors Association of the Republic of Korea and participating local governments |
| Division of Roles |
Governors Association: Responsible for inviting foreign dignitaries and diplomatic officials Local Governments: Responsible for overall event management |