Hwaseong Special City Operates 'Advanced Conflict Management Expert Program' for Public Officials

Hwaseong Special City (Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun) is operating an 'Advanced Conflict Management Expert Program' for public officials in partnership with Dankook University's Dispute Resolution Research Center to strengthen proactive response capabilities to public conflicts.

The city signed a memorandum of understanding with Dankook University's G-RISE Project Team on June 29 for cooperation in the field of public conflict management. As the first project under this agreement, the city will formally launch the 'Advanced Conflict Management Expert Program' targeting Hwaseong Special City public officials starting August 12.

This program has been designed to systematically enhance the practical competency of public officials to respond effectively to increasingly complex and diverse public conflicts in administrative settings.

In various policy fields such as development, environment, transportation, welfare, and public acceptance, conflicts can arise as multiple stakeholders' interests collide. Accordingly, the importance of competency to diagnose and prevent conflict factors in advance and rationally mediate them—rather than merely addressing conflicts after they occur—is growing. Through this training, the city plans to cultivate public conflict experts within the organization capable of performing such roles.

The training will be conducted for 29 public officials from Hwaseong Special City. Beginning with an opening ceremony on August 12, the program will run for approximately four months, comprising 16 sessions totaling around 60 hours. Faculty from Dankook University's Dispute Resolution Research Center and experts in related fields will serve as instructors, providing education that encompasses both theory and practical cases.

The curriculum is structured to allow participating officials to gradually learn from basic understanding of public conflicts to the mediation competencies required in actual field settings. In particular, the program emphasizes helping participants view public conflicts not merely as individual civil complaints or one-time issues, but as critical tasks requiring systematic management throughout policy formation and implementation.

Gang Rae-hyang, Administrative Inspector General, stated, "Conflict management is an important factor that directly affects public trust in administration and the stable implementation of policies. Through this training, I hope that public officials will acquire the competency to identify conflict causes in advance and rationally mediate diverse stakeholders' interests, establishing an administrative culture where citizens and administration create solutions together."