The Institute for Public Conflict and Local Innovation, affiliated with Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) (Director Ha Dong-hyun), Jeonju City, and the Jeonju City Research Institute (Director Park Mi-ja) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in the field of public conflict and local innovation.

Under the agreement, signed recently at a meeting room of the Jeonju City Research Institute, the institutions will undertake education, research, and surveys related to public conflict and local innovation; propose policies and strategies to respond to current issues; and engage in research collaboration and technology exchange to strengthen mutual competitiveness. They also agreed to actively cooperate in operating programs to train researchers and talent in the field of public conflict. 

Representatives of the Institute for Public Conflict and Local Innovation and the Jeonju City Research Institute attended the signing ceremony, along with Professor An Guk-chan (Department of Public Administration, Vice-President for External Cooperation), Professor Cho Seung-hyun (Department of Public Administration, Dean of the College of Social Science), Professor Joo Sang-hyun (Department of Public Administration), Kim Gyeong-a (Department of Public Administration, Deputy Director, Institute for Public Conflict and Local Innovation), Professor Cho Ki-woong (Department of Public Administration), Professor Baek Dae-hyun (Department of Public Administration), Researcher Kim Su-yong, and JBNU institute staff Chae Gyu-seong (Head of the Local Administration Division), Choi Jeong-mi (Team Leader, Local Administration Division), and Yu Yeong-shin (Administrative Officer, Local Administration Division). 

Key personnel from the Jeonju City Research Institute also participated, including Choi Jeong-suk (Director of the Management Strategy Office), Lee So-yeon (Head of the Administration Team), Lee Seung-han (Director, Carbon Neutrality Support Center), and research fellows Yoon Hye-young, Choi Jang-seong, Park Eun-byul, Park Ye-na, and Moon Dong-jin.

Park Mi-ja, Director of the Jeonju City Research Institute, said, 'The aim of this agreement is to resolve public conflicts among the various stakeholders in the local community and to contribute to Jeonju City's development and prosperity through innovative ideas. We will play a leading role in regional development through continuous communication and cooperative relations with Jeonju City and the Institute for Public Conflict and Local Innovation.'

Ha Dong-hyun, Director (Department of Public Administration, JBNU), stated, 'This agreement will serve as an opportunity for the three parties—the Institute for Public Conflict and Local Innovation, the Jeonju City Research Institute, and Jeonju City—to sit together and produce tangible results for regional development across administrative fields, including public conflict. In particular, as both the Institute for Public Conflict and Local Innovation and the Jeonju City Research Institute are newly established institutions, we will leverage their youth and boldness to jointly build a platform for regional innovation.'

Meanwhile, the Institute for Public Conflict and Local Innovation was designated in December 2022 as a 'Conflict Management Research Institution' by the Office for Government Policy Coordination — the first such designation outside the Seoul metropolitan area — and has been providing conflict management training for local governments, local councils, and local public enterprises. 

In 2023, it achieved the result of providing conflict management training to 23 public institutions and approximately 1,060 public officials, and it is operating various programs to deepen research and practice related to conflict prevention and resolution in public institutions, aiming to contribute to conflict resolution, consensus building, and regional integration at the national and community levels.