Korea expands presidential office construction unit in Sejong

The National Agency for Administrative City Construction said Tuesday it will temporarily add five staff to the team building the president's Sejong office and extend the unit's operating period by two years, as the government pushes to complete the administrative capital project on schedule.

The Presidential Sejong Office Construction Team, a temporary body established in January and set to run until Dec. 28, 2026, will now operate until Dec. 28, 2028. Five of the six additional positions the team requested were approved: one senior civil service post, one Grade 5, one Grade 6 and two Grade 7 positions. The remaining Grade 4 position was assigned by temporarily upgrading one existing Grade 4 or Grade 5 post within the agency's authorized headcount.

The revision also extended the National Model City Team, created under the total payroll system, to Dec. 28, 2028, along with four positions whose rank had been upgraded under the same system: two Grade 5 and two Grade 6 posts.

A new National Symbolic Zone Division will be created within the agency, taking charge of design competitions and the operation and management of facilities near the presidential office site, as well as planning for nearby development projects. The division will also support the construction of the National Assembly's Sejong building and handle records and public communication for the projects.

The agency's total authorized headcount will be trimmed by one, to 141, while the separate count for the construction team and related temporary posts will rise from seven to 13.

"The national symbolic zone should be created as a citizen-friendly space that carries the symbolism representing the Republic of Korea while also being enjoyable in daily life," said Hong Soon-min, head of the Presidential Sejong Office Construction Team. "I hope you will freely express the national symbolic zone that you dream of."

The symbolic zone is defined as an area in Sejong-dong that will bring together such core national facilities as the presidential office and the National Assembly's Sejong building alongside public space. Construction design work on the presidential office began in earnest in July, with the government targeting completion by August 2029.