South Korea will relocate 44 central government agencies and 9,929 public-sector jobs from Seoul to its administrative capital, Sejong City, between 2027 and 2031, the Interior Ministry has announced.
The ministry said 27 agencies with 2,995 employees would move first in 2027 into leased offices. They include the Financial Services Commission, Personal Information Protection Commission, Nuclear Safety Commission, National Human Rights Commission and Overseas Koreans Agency.
The remaining 17 agencies, which require dedicated facilities, will relocate after new government complexes are completed by 2031. They include the foreign, unification, defence and justice ministries, the National Police Agency, and audit and anti-corruption bodies.
READ ALSO:South Korea, Egypt Move to Strengthen Strategic Ties
The project is expected to cost 3.1 trillion won, equivalent to 2.3 billion dollars, for new buildings, alongside 89.7 billion won for leases and relocation support.
The government also plans to seek the removal of legal exemptions that currently prevent key security ministries from moving out of Seoul.
Sejong, located about 110 kilometres south of Seoul, was established in 2007 as a planned administrative capital to ease congestion in the capital and promote balanced regional development.
Since 2012, 18 ministries have already relocated to Sejong, although major centres of power, including the National Assembly, the presidential office and key ministries, have remained in Seoul.
The Seoul metropolitan area is home to about 50 per cent of South Korea’s 52 million people and accounts for much of the country’s economic activity. The government says this concentration contributes to housing pressures and the decline of other regions.
The relocation forms part of a long-running decentralisation plan first proposed by former President Roh Moo-hyun in 2002. The Constitutional Court blocked the proposal from proceeding as a full capital relocation.
Under the current timeline, a presidential office in Sejong is expected to be completed in 2029, while a parliamentary branch is scheduled for completion in 2033.
Reuters
