ScholarWorks@중앙대학교

초록

The special zone system in South Korea has evolved over time in line with changes in economic and regional development policies. Although the special zone system has been widely utilized as a key policy tool for promoting regional development, its actual operational performance has often fallen short of expectations. Previous studies have identified various issues aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the special zone system. However, most have been limited to merely listing problems without assessing their relative importance. While limited prior research has attempted to establish priorities, they have focused on specific types of special zones, making it difficult to draw insights applicable to the entire system. Moreover, although stakeholder perceptions of the system may differ, such differences have rarely been examined in depth. This study employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process to assess the relative importance of operational issues within the special zone system. It also compares the perspectives of experts and public officials to identify key perceptual differences. The main findings are as follows. First, although the two groups differed in their views on how to improve the special zone system, they shared a common perception regarding two key problems: the proliferation of similar special zones and the absence of a centralized coordinating body. Second, experts prioritized governance-related factors across all top-ranked items, while public officials focused on operational factors. These findings suggest that improving the special zone system requires not only macro-level institutional design and structural reform, but also careful consideration of practical conditions at the implementation level.

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