A local administration seminar hosted by the Korean and Chinese governments will resume in person for the first time in six years.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) said on the 15th that it will hold the 14th Korea-China local administration seminar with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China at the Swiss Grand Hotel Seoul on the 16th. The Ministry of Civil Affairs is a ministerial-level department under the China State Council that handles social administration.
Since 2009, this seminar has been held alternately in the two countries every year. It is based on the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for exchange and cooperation signed in 2007 to mark the 15th anniversary of Korea-China diplomatic relations. However, due to COVID-19, it was replaced by video conferences from 2020 to 2022 and was suspended after 2023.
The upcoming seminar will be chaired by the director general for local administration at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), with a six-member delegation from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China attending, including Wang Keqiang, head of the Department of Policy and Regulations, and Zang Baorui, deputy head of the Charity Promotion Department.
This year's seminar theme is "donations and charity." The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) will share the current status and development direction of Korea's donation system and introduce the hometown love donation system. The Ministry of Civil Affairs will present on the current status and direction of the development of China's charity sector, and the supervision, management, and protection of charitable assets.
After the presentations, the two sides will hold discussions on ways to develop donation systems and charity policies in both countries, and then proceed with field visits in Seoul, Suwon in Gyeonggi, and Jeju.
Vice Minister Kim Min-jae of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) said, "We hope this seminar will be a venue to share policy considerations that look after people's livelihoods."