Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung speaks during a briefing about the relocation of governmental agencies at the Central Government Complex in Seoul on Oct. 13.YONHAP
Nearly 10,000 civil servants are set to move from the greater Seoul area to Sejong as the government prepares to relocate 44 agencies to the de facto administrative capital over the next five years.
In the phased relocation scheme, the first transfers will begin in 2027, with the last scheduled for completion by 2031, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Tuesday. A total of 9,929 employees will relocate under the plan.
Sejong is located between South Chungcheong and North Chungcheong, just north of Daejeon, about 120 kilometers (74 miles) south of Seoul.
The move would be comparable in scale to the relocation of 43 government agencies and 14,731 civil servants already based in Sejong.
Twenty-seven agencies are scheduled to relocate in 2027. The six set to move in the first half of next year are: the Korea Media and Communications Commission, the Personal Information Protection Commission, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, the National Education Commission and the Overseas Koreans Agency.
The Financial Services Commission will be among 19 agencies moving in the second half of 2027, alongside agencies affiliated with government ministries and various advisory committees.
A corridor of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family inside the Central Government Complex in Jongno District, Seoul, on Oct. 13YONHAP
“They were selected for the first round of relocations because they do not require separate government offices,” the Interior Ministry said while explaining why the 27 agencies were prioritized for relocation in 2027. “They will use privately leased office space in Sejong.”
The remaining 17 agencies, which employ 6,934 civil servants, will move after new government buildings are constructed to accommodate their specialized operations, as their work in investigations, security and monitoring requires dedicated buildings and facilities. Among them are: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Unification; the Ministry of National Defense; the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea; the Korean National Police Agency; the Prosecution Service; the Serious Crime Investigation Agency; and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, however, has set 2031 as the deadline for the relocations. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will determine their moving dates later, based on the timing of amendments to an existing law governing the development of the administrative city in the Chungcheong region.
The presidential secretariat, the Office of National Security and other agencies closely tied to the presidency will have their relocation schedules reviewed separately, taking into account when the presidential office completes its move to Sejong. The presidential office complex in Sejong is scheduled for completion in 2029, followed by the National Assembly's Sejong branch in 2033.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in central SeoulNEWS1
The Interior Ministry is preparing financial assistance to ease the transition for civil servants moving to Sejong. The measures will cover moving costs and initial settlement expenses, while officials are also considering temporary transportation support for employees who cannot relocate right away. A total of 89.7 billion won ($66.8 million) will go toward leasing, setting up and operating temporary government offices in 2027, along with relocation assistance for civil servants.
The government is also preparing to construct separate office buildings for agencies that require dedicated facilities, at an estimated cost of 3.1 trillion won. The Interior Ministry plans to begin the construction process in 2027 with an allocation of 28.6 billion won for initial design work. “The overall cost could change depending on where each agency is located, the size of its facilities, land acquisition and the final designs,” a ministry official said.
The plan also faces a legislative hurdle. Five ministries — namely, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Unification Ministry, the Gender Ministry, the Justice Ministry and the Defense Ministry — are currently exempt from relocation under the law governing Sejong's development as an administrative city. The Interior Ministry will consult the Assembly on removing those exemptions.
Land in Sejong, which will house the presidential office and National AssemblyYONHAP
“The relocation plan will be revised and officially announced after consultations with relevant agencies, public hearings and other legally required procedures,” the Interior Ministry said. “The moves will proceed in stages based on each agency's readiness and progress in securing office space.”
“The relocation of central government agencies to Sejong is a national strategy aimed at reducing the country's dependence on the greater Seoul area by making more efficient use of land and laying the groundwork for Korea's next phase of growth,” said Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung. “We will take every necessary step to ensure that the relocating agencies settle smoothly in Sejong.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
