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| An illustration of a government building in Sejong Government Complex / Korea Times file |
By Lee Kyung-min
Several government ministries will team up to help facilitate the construction of a second presidential office in Sejong City, an administrative area 144 kilometers south of Seoul, by 2027, according to government officials, Sunday.
Setting up a second presidential office and a legislative building in Sejong was a key campaign pledge of President Yoon Suk-yeol, a vision he believes will cement the sparsely populated city as the nation's administrative capital. The plan gained traction after the National Assembly revised related laws in May.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Interior and Safety and the National Agency for Administrative City Construction said a joint team of officials will commission a study before October to determine the function, size and location of the second office. Plans to strengthen the public transportation system and infrastructure in a broader context of city planning will also follow.
The government and the ruling People Power Party agreed to increase spending for the said plan during the upcoming budget review at the National Assembly.
"The government is mapping out a plan to establish a new administrative, metropolitan megacity, in a bid to foster the comprehensive and balanced growth of the country," the land ministry said in a statement.
The government will increase the use of Building 1 in the Sejong Government Complex housing the Prime Minister's Office, a large conference room and office spaces, all of which are rarely used.
"Building 1 will be used more often until the second presidential office is built. The new office will be built in a way that best helps bolster connectivity with existing central government ministries and allow public access to an extent that does not lead to security issues," the ministry added.
The government plans to outline strategies to relocate key state-run organizations to the administrative city in stages, a process that will fully reflect the concerns and opinions of relevant stakeholders including unionized public servants and municipal governments.
"We will maximize the desired outcome from the relocations of government entities," the ministry said. "Discussions will continue to fully and efficiently execute plans to realize balanced growth, a key pledge of President Yoon."
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