South Korea to Announce Plan Tomorrow for Relocating Government and Public Agencies Outside Seoul

South Korea’s government is preparing to reveal the outline of a major plan to move administrative and public institutions out of the Seoul metropolitan area, including agencies that have long been discussed as relocation candidates.

The government will present its “Plan for Relocating Administrative and Public Institutions and Reforming Public Institution Functions” at the Seoul Government Complex on the third. Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-joong, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Yun-duk, and Deputy Finance and Economy Minister Heo Jang are expected to take part.

The Financial Services Commission, Personal Information Protection Commission and Gender Equality and Family Ministry are among the administrative bodies being considered. The Financial Supervisory Service, Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation and Korea Institute of Public Administration have also been mentioned as possible public-institution relocations. Officials have discussed moving some agencies to Sejong, following the first relocation campaign under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.

The Gender Equality and Family Ministry faces a legal obstacle because the Special Act on the Construction of Administrative City excludes it, along with the foreign affairs, unification, justice and defense ministries. A law change would therefore be required before it could move.

Of 342 public institutions nationwide, 162 headquartered in the capital region could be affected. The government may give only broad relocation guidance at first, partly because opposition from within the institutions remains strong and the nationwide financial-sector union plans a general strike on the fourth. It also may identify regions where relocated institutions could be grouped and provide details of a consolidation plan ordered by President Lee Jae-myung. The government aims to finalize relocation sites after public consultation in October or November, after postponing an earlier cabinet discussion to reconsider the institutions involved.

“

There are so many that I cannot count the number.