Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) and Imsil County (County Governor Han Deuk-su) will work together to address local issues and establish a sustainable cooperation framework.

JBNU and Imsil County signed a "Memorandum of Understanding to Establish a Regional Development Cooperation Framework" at 11:00 a.m. on the 12th in the President's Office at the University Headquarters.

Yang O-bong, President of JBNU, Han Deuk-su, County Governor of Imsil, and officials from both organizations attended the signing ceremony and discussed concrete cooperation measures for regional development, including joint responses to local issues, policy research, and expert consultation.

Under the agreement, the two organizations will jointly identify Imsil County's local issues and policy needs, and cooperate in jointly planning policy research projects and providing policy support necessary for regional development.

They will also pursue policy advisory services and consulting that connect JBNU's experts across various fields to address local issues. Through expert advisory meetings and roundtables, they plan to actively utilize the university's expertise by sharing data and information related to regional development.

In particular, JBNU plans to operate an Imsil regional cooperation hub (Imsil Development Research Center) centered on the JBNU Regional Development Research Institute to establish a lasting policy cooperation platform between the university and Imsil County.

Rather than establishing a separate physical space, the Imsil Development Research Center will operate centered on the JBNU Regional Development Research Institute. When Imsil County has policy needs, the center will connect relevant JBNU faculty and experts to support policy advice and the planning and execution of policy research projects.

It will also support responses to national competitive projects and regional development projects, and will promote policy forums and expert roundtables according to local issues. The two organizations will manage the cooperation framework on the principle of carrying out at least one policy research project or policy advisory activity per year. They also agreed to consider strengthening and expanding the functions of the Imsil Development Research Center in the future based on cooperation outcomes.

This agreement is significant in that it links JBNU's research and human resources with Imsil County's regional policy needs to build a regionally tailored cooperation system that ranges from identifying local issues to expert consultation, policy research, and project response.

JBNU, centered on the JBNU Regional Development Research Institute, is continuously expanding university–local government cooperation systems that link regional policy needs with the university's expertise to address local issues and support regional development.

Yang O-bong, President of JBNU, said, "It is important for JBNU to serve as a think tank for the local community and to put the university's expertise and research capabilities to practical use for regional development," adding, "Through this agreement, we will closely link the policies and issues that Imsil County needs with the university's outstanding human resources and create a cooperative model that enables both the region and the university to grow together."

Han Deuk-su, County Governor of Imsil, said, "This agreement is a meaningful starting point that connects the strengths of Imsil County and JBNU and builds the region's future together," adding, "We expect that the two organizations will pool their expertise and capabilities to find practical solutions to local issues and to produce results by developing new policies and projects."