Changes in Regional Communities: The Case of the Republic of Korea's Lifelong Learning City Project

Abstract

The Problem. Although the promises advanced by promoting Korea's Lifelong Learning City Project by the municipal governments are relevant to the development of regional human resources and the local community capacity, we know little about how or whether the project leads to substantive and sustainable changes. This study seeks to examine how the concept of organization development (OD) can be linked with lifelong learning cities, how the development of human resources is being accomplished in the learning cities, and how residents contribute to local communities as well as how they bring about changes in their local communities. The Solution. This study indicates that the theoretical and practical aspects of OD can be applied to many other contexts such as government organizations, planned change efforts for communities, and society. The Stakeholders. This study's findings concern adult educators, practitioners, and scholars in human resource development for societal development. © 2012 SAGE Publications.