YANG, Duk-soon, the President of the Jeju Research Institute, was born on March 18, 1965 in Jeju Island. Since 2006, he has been a Professor of Public Administration at Jeju National University. He took a leave of absence from the university and was appointed as the President of the Jeju Research Institute on October 07, 2023, and is striving for innovative management to fulfill his goal of having a true Think Tank of Jeju. His major is local administration, and he contributed to the creation of Jeju Free International City and the launch of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. His previous positions include the Minister of Planning at Jeju National University, the President of the Korea Association of Local Administration, and editorial writer for the Jemin Ilbo (Daily News). His publications include ‘Local Autonomy Management Theory’ and ‘An Analysis of Research Trends Related to Local Autonomy in Jeju’.