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Islands of Korea, Islands of the World  KIDI’s Specialization Project                                                              Supporting Underdeveloped Island Villages                                                                  KIDI Business

                                                                                                                                         The Island Regional Specialization Project, launched
                                                                                                                                         by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, was designed
                                                                                                                                         to address the needs of island communities that have
                  for Creating Sustainable Island Villages
                                                                                                                                         struggled with underdevelopment due to geographical
                                                                                                                                         isolation and regulatory barriers. As part of the Special
                                                                                                                                         Situation Area Development Project, this initiative utilized
                                                                                                                                         special accounts for balanced national development,





                                               The Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Island Regional Specialization Project          supporting 60 island villages between 2011 and 2021.
                                                                                                                                         The Need for an Overarching Control Tower
                                               aims to support island residents in forming organizations, crafting comprehensive         and Site Managers
                                               village development plans, and implementing income-generating and revitalization
                                                                                                                                         While local governments initially managed the project,
                                               activities to build sustainable island communities. While the project was previously
                                                                                                                                         several challenges were noted. Officials often felt
                                               managed by local city, county, and district authorities, it faced criticism for lacking
                                                                                                                                         burdened by the workload, and frequent personnel
                                               the expertise necessary to achieve its goals effectively.
                                                                                                                                         changes led to inconsistent project management.
                                                                                                                                         Additionally, there was a lack of expertise in community-
                                               To address these challenges, KIDI assumed overall management in 2023, ensuring
                                                                                                                                         led development initiatives, resulting in basic planning
                                               professional oversight and a more strategic approach to these vital projects.
                                                                                                                                         processes that only involved a few resident meetings    platform enabled participants to share detailed
                                                                                                                                                                                                 insights and reach a consensus on the importance
                                                                                                                                         and field visits. This highlighted the need for a dedicated
                                                                                                                                                                                                 of the island specialization project.
                                                                                                                                         Control Tower to provide strategic oversight and on-
                                                                                                                                         site project managers (PMs) to facilitate resident
                                                                                                                                         empowerment and ensure effective implementation.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Developing Resident-Driven Projects
       Vol.01                                                                                                                                                                                    Tailored to Each Island’s Uniqueness
                                                                                                                                                                                                 KIDI’s on-site project management teams engage
                                                                                                                                         Project Management by KIDI
                                                                                                                                                                                                 directly with residents, collecting feedback and
                                                                                                                                         : Expertise in Island Development Initiatives
                                                                                                                                                                                                 helping to build skills. This hands-on approach
                                                                                                                                                                                                 ensures  the  project  becomes  a  “resident
                                                                                                                                         Recognizing the need for professionalized management,
                                                                                                                                                                                                 participation project,” empowering communities to
                                                                                                                                         the Ministry of the Interior and Safety shifted project
                                                                                                                                                                                                 take ownership of their development. By selecting
                                                                                                                                         oversight to KIDI in 2022. This transition established a
                                                                                                                                                                                                 and managing professional PMs, KIDI ensures each
                                                                                                                                         more structured and effective system for managing the
                                                                                                                                                                                                 initiative aligns with the unique characteristics
                                                                                                                                         Island Regional Specialization Project.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 of the respective island. Throughout the process,
                                                                                                                                         In November 2022, KIDI organized a policy workshop that
                                                                                                                                                                                                 expert consultation and guidance are provided to
                                                                                                                                         brought together civil servants responsible for island-
                                                                                                                                                                                                 maximize the project’s impact.
                                                                                                                                         related matters from various local governments. This
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Envisioning Sustainable
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Island Communities

                                                                                                                                                                                                 Through  this  project,  island  residents  are
                                                                                                                                                                                                 encouraged to form local organizations, develop
                                                                                                                                                                                                 village plans that leverage their natural and cultural
                                                                                                                                                                                                 resources, and implement income-generating and
                                                                                                                                                                                                 revitalization activities. The project targets 188
                                                                                                                                                                                                 islands identified as special situation areas under
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Article 4 of the Island Development Promotion Act.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Villages apply for participation, with selections
                                                                                                                                                                                                 made based on detailed documentation reviews
     20                                                                                                                                                                                          and site evaluations.                              21
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