Incheon locals oppose plan to move Overseas Koreans Agency to Sejong
Members of the Incheon chapter of the main opposition People Power Party hold a press conference in Incheon opposing the government's decision to relocate the Overseas Koreans Agency to Sejong from Incheon, Oct. 14. Courtesy of Incheon chapter of the People Power Party
Political parties, local officials and civic activists in Incheon are pushing back against the government’s plan to relocate the Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) to Sejong, calling the decision unilateral and demanding it be scrapped.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced Oct. 13 that 44 ministries and agencies would relocate in phases beginning next year through 2031 as part of a national strategy to break up the capital area-centered administrative system.
The agency, which oversees diaspora policy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is among the first six agencies slated to move — scheduled to leave its Incheon headquarters for the administrative city of Sejong by the first half of 2027.
The OKA was originally established in Incheon following fierce competition among local governments, with the city selected for its proximity to Incheon International Airport and its symbolic significance as a gateway for the Korean diaspora.
The agency had more recently been weighing a move to a government building in Seoul after struggling to find suitable premises, with a plan to coordinate with officials there once its current lease expired. Following a series of controversies over its headquarters, the Incheon city government and the OKA had been in discussions to secure new office space in Incheon — making the Sejong announcement a further blow to those efforts.
The backlash has been swift and cross-partisan, with both the ruling and opposition parties’ Incheon chapters criticizing the plan as one-sided and calling for greater public consultation.
"We urge the government to reconsider the plan to relocate the OKA to Sejong and to thoroughly gather feedback from Incheon citizens and overseas Korean communities during the upcoming public hearing," the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Incheon chapter said in a statement last week.
"(The location of) the agency was the hard-won result of joint efforts by Incheon citizens and overseas Korean communities.”
The Overseas Koreans Welcome Center and Korean Business Center in Yeonsu District, Incheon, Sept. 21. Korea Times file
The Incheon chapter of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) held a press conference on Oct. 14 urging Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae to press the central government to reverse course and has since released a steady stream of statements.
"The OKA serves as a vital national hub connecting 7 million overseas Koreans with Korea, while embodying the historic identity of Incheon, where the nation's first official emigration began," the PPP’s Incheon chapter said.
“When government decisions conflict with Incheon's interests, leadership must protect the rights of our citizens. With a major national body based in Incheon facing relocation, Mayor Park needs to demonstrate real action to scrap the move, not just offer surface explanations or belated measures.”
Former Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok from the conservative bloc, who served two terms from 2014 to 2018 and from 2022 to 2026, criticized the central and local governments for unilaterally deciding on the relocation without listening to residents’ opinions.
“(The government said) the OKA will not move to Seoul; now they are shipping it off to Sejong,” Yoo wrote Sunday on his Facebook page.
“The OKA says there was no prior consultation, and the diaspora community says its views were never heard … Who is this relocation really for, when neither the policy beneficiaries, nor the agency itself, nor the local community were informed.”
He urged the government to immediately scrap the plan to relocate the agency and called on the Incheon Metropolitan Government to formally convey its opposition to the central government.
Regarding the series of controversies, the OKA offered a measured response, saying it would follow the government’s decision.
“Relocating government functions to Sejong is a top national priority for all ministries and the decision was made after comprehensive review at a Cabinet meeting,” the agency said. “Further details will be carried out in consultation with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.”
Park, the current Incheon mayor, struck a more conciliatory tone, saying on social media that the city was in the final stages of consulting with the OKA to keep an education and cultural center in Incheon — a facility expected to attract between 3,000 and 10,000 diaspora Koreans annually.
"The agency may move to Sejong, but overseas Koreans will come to Incheon. There is no need to view this as Incheon taking a loss or being left out," Park said.