Decentralization and Local Government

South Korea’s central–local relations since its democratic transition in the late 1980s have been marked by institutionalization of local politics and delayed decentralization. After the long dominance of centralism, the past two decades have experienced the introduction of democratic institutions for local politics, including popular election of local politicians and delegation of formal authorities to lower levels of government. On the one hand, this development has empowered localities, nurtured some prominent politicians and democratic citizenship, and created a local political arena. On the other hand, weak administrative and fiscal capacities of localities have led to frequent confrontation with the central government and a growing gap among localities. Higher fiscal dependency on central transfer and a shrinking local population is expected to further burden localities and widen regional economic disparity, which may pose a threat to local democracy.