Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Justice, gender equality ministries among 1st to relocate to Sejong in 2027
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, center, speaks during a press conference on the relocation and restructuring of government agencies and public institutions at the Government Complex Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
The government said the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Gender Equality will be among the first government bodies to relocate to Sejong under a phased relocation plan set to begin in the first half of 2027.
It also said the institutions requiring separate headquarters such as the Prosecution Service and Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the National Police Agency will be relocated after new office buildings are constructed.
The announcements were made during a government-wide briefing led by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook concerning the relocation of about 350 public institutions currently based in the capital region to areas outside the region.
She was joined by Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-duk and Second Vice Minister of Economy and Finance Huh Jang.
It is the second major round of relocations, following a series of moves in the 2000s.
"We will begin phased relocations in the first half of 2027, starting with larger agencies and those expected to have a greater impact through relocation, including the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Gender Equality," Yun said.
The next round covers a broader range of government institutions to Sejong, including the presidential office and the National Assembly.
Han described Sejong as "both a symbol and a central pillar of balanced national development," and highlighted plans to build a presidential office there by August 2029 and complete the National Assembly’s Sejong complex by 2033.
She also said the government will cut the number of public institutions as part of restructuring efforts, under the principle of minimizing and streamlining agencies.
“It will be the largest such restructuring ever undertaken,” she noted.
Han stressed that the government will avoid “simply distributing institutions among regions as if dividing up a pie.”
“We will instead cluster related institutions around innovation cities, concentrating the energy for regional growth like a bonfire and maximizing the strength of regional hubs,” she said.
Acknowledging that the plan could face opposition and conflicting interests, Han said the government will gather views from local governments, labor groups and other stakeholders to draw up a reasonable relocation plan that can win broad support.