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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