Interior ministry opens public hearing on second wave of agency relocations to Sejong

The interior ministry said Tuesday it will hold a public hearing on a revised plan to relocate central government agencies to Sejong, a second wave of moves that would shift 31 agencies and 5,460 civil servants out of the Seoul area starting in 2027.

The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the government complex in central Seoul. It is intended to present the main contents of the change to the relocation plan and to gather views from the public and experts on the timing and method of the moves.

The revision follows an Oct. 13 announcement of a plan to move 44 agencies and 9,929 civil servants to Sejong in stages as part of efforts to strengthen Sejong-centered government operations and promote balanced national development.

Only agencies that can move under existing law were included in the revision released Tuesday. Of the 44 agencies, 31 with 5,460 staff can relocate without legislative changes. The remaining 13 agencies and 4,469 staff, including the foreign, unification, defense and justice ministries, require law revisions and will be subject to a further change notice once legislation and office space are secured.

Among the 31 agencies, 23 with 1,831 staff, including the Korea Communications Commission and the Personal Information Protection Commission, will move by 2027 into leased private buildings in the multicity administrative capital. The remaining eight, with 3,629 staff, including the Board of Audit and Inspection, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and the National Police Agency, will move by 2031 after new buildings are completed.

The ministry estimated the cost at about 55.7 billion won ($41.7 million) for the leased offices and about 1.6 trillion won ($1.2 billion) for construction.

"This relocation of central government agencies to Sejong is a core national strategy to overcome the Seoul-centric system and use the country's territory efficiently, so that South Korea can achieve sustainable growth and a new leap forward," Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung said in a statement.

The hearing will be broadcast live on KTV and the ministry's YouTube channel. Members of the public who cannot attend can submit opinions online through the government's citizen petition portal and the ministry's website from Nov. 3 to 4.

The ministry plans to incorporate the views gathered and, after consultations with relevant agencies and presidential approval, formally publish the revised relocation plan.

Yoon also asked employees of the affected agencies for their cooperation, saying the government would minimize inconvenience to the public and attend to all details so that relocated agencies can settle in stably.