The Korea Local Administration Review

Local decentralization and balanced development are conceptually known to have both complementary and conflicting relationships, yet little empirical evidence has supported this notion. This study analyzed news articles related to these two concepts from May 2022 to May 2024 using KeyBert and BERTopic (topic modeling) based on deep learning. The analysis revealed that local decentralization is understood as a comprehensive concept, with keywords related to local autonomy subjects, such as local councils, emerging. In contrast, regional balanced development is associated with policy instruments like opportunity development zones as key keywords. Decentralization is linked to power devolution policies, such as the autonomous police system, and is viewed from a problem-awareness perspective, focusing on issues like population decline. Balanced development, conversely, is connected to economic revitalization policies, including SOC investment and new industries, and is interpreted from a solution-oriented perspective, incorporating international case studies.