On November 5, 2020, over 100 local government officials and renowned scholars across the Republic of
Korea and the People's Republic of China convened to discuss solutions for regional development in the
post-COVID-19 era at the 14th LOGODI-Tsinghua Seminar.
Established in 1911, Tsinghua University is the most prestigious university in China specializing in
science and technology. Being China’s number one university, many of its alumni have become notable
personalities, including political leaders such as Xi Jinping, the President of the People’s Republic of
China.
Since 2007, LOGODI has jointly organized the annual seminar on an alternating basis with the School of
Continuing Education (SCETU), Tsinghua University. Each year, the seminar served as a platform to share
knowledge and excellent practices on public administration and regional development. Also, it
contributes to enhancing a common understanding of opportunities and challenges linked to local
governance and policy issues faced by both countries.
This year, LOGODI has adapted the seminar to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was
composed of three sessions under the theme,
Future Opportunities and Challenges to Sustainable
Development in the Post-COVID-19 Era; 1) central and local government roles and governance development
methods; 2) digital economic growth and local economic resilience; and 3) local government capacity
building and exchanges and cooperation.
LOGODI invited the key speakers from China, who are the most prominent experts in the fields of Chinese
governance, digital technology, and international exchanges. Among them are Liu Zhen, Dean of the SCETU,
Meng Tianguang, Vice Dean of the School of Social Sciences of Tsinghua University, and Qin Zheng,
Professor at the School of Software of Tsinghua University.
Participants from Korea include experts from related fields and local government officials, including
Kim, Sun-eun, the Chairperson of the Presidential Committee on Autonomy and Decentralization; Kim,
Hye-young, the Vice President of National Information Society Agency (NIA); Cho, Chung-sik, Deputy Mayor
of Suwon City; and Seo, Ju-hyun, the Head of the Digital Government Policy Division in the Digital
Government Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
During the opening ceremony for the event, Vice Minister Lee Jae-young, Ministry of the Interior and
Safety, praised the 14 years of fruitful cooperation between LOGODI and Tsinghua University. Also, he
expressed his hope that the seminar has provided a place to share each country’s policies since the
roles of local government have become more significant than ever before due to the severe crisis.