Park Ki-Gwan

Park Ki-Gwan

Professor, Department of Regional Innovation and Public Administration, Sangji University

He studies the institutions and powers of local autonomy, and how public administration actually works.

From the expertise and personnel systems of local councils to AI transformation and disaster safety, he examines the administrative conditions needed to solve problems on the ground.

Current

President, Korean Research Institute of Fire and Disaster
Adviser and Chair of the Special Committee on AI Transformation (AX), Korean Association for Local Government Studies
President, Gangwon Association for Public Administration
Policy Committee Member and Policy Adviser on Decentralization, Ministry of the Interior and Safety

Former

Acting President; Vice President for Education and Research; Vice President for External Affairs, Sangji University
25th President, Korean Association for Local Government Studies February 2021 to February 2022
Chair of the Decentralization Subcommittee and of the Committee on Devolution and Special Cases, Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development

Greeting Curriculum Vitae Research and Publications

Selected Research

2026

How should local government change in the age of AI?

Developing and Applying an AI Administrative Hub Model for Local Government (in Korean)

The Case of Wonju, Gangwon State

Park Ki-Gwan · Korean Local Government Review 28(1), pp. 1-23, 2026

When a local government adopts AI, technology is not the only thing that has to change. The channels that receive citizens' requests, the way departments cooperate, the capacity to use data and the procedures for testing new rules all have to change together. This study proposes an AI administrative hub model that connects these four areas and examines its applicability and limits through the case of Wonju. It rests on the view that turning technology into administrative results requires designing organization, authority and citizen participation together.

Article record and abstract (KCI)DOI 10.38134/klgr.2026.28.1.001

2022

Five perspectives on local council expertise

An Analysis of Stakeholder Perception Types Regarding the Expertise of Local Councils (in Korean)

Eun Jong-hwan, Park Ki-Gwan and Lee Hoon-rae · The Korean Journal of Local Government Studies 26(1), pp. 49-74, 2022

When it comes to strengthening the expertise of local councils, what do stakeholders in the field put first? Building on in-depth interviews, this study applies Q methodology and identifies five perception types. The preferred direction differed depending on whether the focus was on council members or on support staff, and on whether short-term or long-term change was valued. The study offers grounds for understanding these differences and finding improvements that stakeholders can pursue together, before uniform support measures are designed.

Article record and abstract (KCI)DOI 10.20484/klog.26.1.3

2022

Independent personnel authority for local councils

A Study on Establishing a Dedicated Council Service Category to Ensure Independent Personnel Authority for Local Councils (in Korean)

Park Soon-jong and Park Ki-Gwan · Journal of Local Government Studies 34(2), pp. 65-86, Korean Association for Local Government Studies, 2022

How can a local council with a small staff secure both independent personnel authority and stable operations? This study compares three ways of creating a dedicated council service category and five scopes of personnel management. It proposes combining a separate grade table with personnel management at the metropolitan or provincial level, weighing the promotion and rotation problems of small staffs against the autonomy of each council. It turns the principle of independent personnel authority into concrete questions of organization and personnel practice.

Article record and abstract (KCI)DOI 10.21026/jlgs.2022.34.2.65

More on selected research All publications

Media

Kangwon Domin Ilbo20 September 2026
Academic society

Korean Research Institute of Fire and Disaster Holds Launch Ceremony in Wonju

Original title: ⁠한국소방재난행정학회 원주서 창립 발대식 · Original article in Korean

Marking the society's founding, he set out a research agenda on institutions and administrative procedures so that advanced technology turns into faster response on the ground.

Read at Kangwon Domin Ilbo Read on Daum

The Asia Business Daily1 September 2025
Policy and lectures

Wonju Holds Forum on a Development Strategy for a City of 500,000, Discusses Securing Large-City Special Status

Original title: ⁠원주시, 50만 대도시 원주 발전 전략포럼…대도시 특례 확보 논의 · Original article in Korean

At the Wonju development strategy forum, he gave the keynote on decentralized balanced development under the 5 regional hubs and 3 special self-governing provinces framework and on Wonju's future strategy.

Read the article

Pressian6 November 2024
Awards

Professor Park Ki-Gwan Receives the Order of Service Merit, Hongjo Medal

Original title: ⁠박기관 교수 홍조근정훈장 수상 · Original article in Korean

Introduced his work on decentralization policy and balanced development and reported his receipt of the Order of Service Merit, Hongjo Medal.

Read the article

All Media Coverage

A Lineage of Learning

On the foundations of local autonomy studies laid by Professor Rho Yung Hee and Professor Choi Chang-ho, Park Ki-Gwan has carried his own questions forward. What he learned of local autonomy as Professor Choi Chang-ho's youngest disciple continues in his research on local councils, decentralization and the future of the regions.

Professor Rho Yung Hee was Professor Choi Chang-ho's teacher, and Park Ki-Gwan is Professor Choi's youngest disciple. In the Korean Association for Local Government Studies, Rho served as the first president, Choi as the second, and Park as the 25th.

When I later became president of the association that my teacher's teacher had founded and my teacher had nurtured, I came to understand how scholarship passes from one person to the next.From the Greeting

1988

Photo: Korea Planning Association

Rho Yung Hee

Professor, Seoul National University
Founding President, Korean Association for Local Government Studies
December 1988 to February 1993

1993

Photo: News1

Choi Chang-ho

Professor, Konkuk University
2nd President, Korean Association for Local Government Studies
February 1993 to February 1995

2021

Professor Choi Chang-ho's youngest disciple
25th President, Korean Association for Local Government Studies
February 2021 to February 2022

Academic and Public Service

Universities and Scholarly Associations

2026Acting President, Sangji UniversityTook office 15 April 2026; former · Also served as Vice President for Education and Research and for External Affairs
February 2021 to February 202225th President, Korean Association for Local Government StudiesJeju Declaration for the Promotion of Autonomy and Decentralization (Nov. 5, 2021); chair, joint academic seminar marking the 30th anniversary of the restoration of local councils (July 8, 2021)
CurrentPresident, Korean Research Institute of Fire and DisasterLaunch ceremony and first academic seminar, 18 September 2026, Wonju City HallVideo resources
17 October 2026Founding activities, Korean Society for Regional Disaster and SafetyFounding general assembly
CurrentPresident, Gangwon Association for Public AdministrationRe-elected continuously since 2015
CurrentAdviser and Chair of the Special Committee on AI Transformation (AX), Korean Association for Local Government Studies

Government and Committees

Member, Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced DevelopmentChair, Decentralization Subcommittee; Chair, Committee on Devolution and Special Provisions
Member, Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development; Policy Committee Member, Presidential Committee on Autonomy and Decentralization
Member, Mid- and Long-Term Strategy Committee, Ministry of Economy and FinanceRegional Development
CurrentPolicy Committee Member and Policy Adviser on Decentralization, Ministry of the Interior and Safety
CurrentChair, Proactive Administration Committee, Gangwon State
2024Hongjo Order of Service MeritFor contributions to local self-government and balanced development

All Activities