Home > National > Politics

Lee urges faster Sejong presidential office construction but design and budget present challenges

Published: 15 Dec. 2025, 16:44

Kang Joo-yeop, head of the National Agency for Administrative City Construction, speaks during a briefing at the government complex in Sejong in Sejong on Aug. 28. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung has called for faster construction of a presidential office in Sejong, but the current timeline suggests that even the original target of completion in 2030 will be difficult to meet due to a lengthy design competition process and limited budget allocation.

President Lee made the remarks on Friday at a policy briefing held by the National Agency for Administrative City Construction (Naacc) at the Sejong Convention Center in Sejong.

“I said many times during the presidential campaign that I would work in Yongsan District [central Seoul], briefly return to the Blue House and likely end my term in Sejong,” Lee said. “If we complete the presidential office in 2030, I will only reside briefly. We need to move a bit faster. Let’s bring the schedule forward.”

Lee responded to comments from Kang Joo-yeop, head of Naacc, who said the current plan already requires aggressive scheduling.

“If we factor in two years for design and another two years for construction, even a 2030 completion target requires aggressive project management,” Kang said.

The Naacc plans to carry out design work for the Sejong presidential office from 2026 to 2027.

“The design phase typically takes between 18 months and two years,” an Naacc official said.

Construction can begin only after the design is finalized and the site is secured.

The combined cost for design work and land acquisition totals 151.4 billion won ($10.2 million). Of that amount, only 24 billion won is reflected in next year’s budget. Most of the allocation covers design costs and accounts for just 6.24 percent of the estimated total project cost of 384.6 billion won.

The Sejong presidential office complex will include office space, residential quarters, communication and cooperation facilities, staff offices and buildings for the security service. Officials expect lengthy coordination among government agencies during construction due to security concerns.

“The site is owned by Korea Land & Housing Corporation, so we do not need separate compensation procedures and can acquire it relatively easily if we choose to move forward,” an Naacc official said. “If we set up a dedicated organization such as a task force and accelerate schedules, including interministerial coordination, we can bring the completion date forward.”

The plan to build a presidential office in Sejong originated under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

In August 2022, the Yoon administration said it would complete facilities including the presidential office, staff offices, residence, security buildings and a state guesthouse by the first half of 2027 and hand them over to the next administration. It also initially planned to complete the National Assembly’s Sejong branch by the end of 2027.

The National Assembly building is seen in western Seoul on Dec. 30, 2024. [NEWS1]

The presidential office site sits in Sejong-dong’s S-1 living zone, an area of 150,000 square meters (1.6 million square feet), which includes the site designated for the National Assembly Sejong complex.

Construction of the National Assembly’s Sejong branch has also faced repeated delays. The projected completion date shifted from 2027 to 2029, then to 2031 and now to 2033.

President Lee criticized the pace, saying, “The National Assembly Sejong complex is also moving far too slowly.”

The government allocated 95.6 billion won in next year’s budget for the National Assembly Sejong project, primarily for design and land acquisition.

The National Assembly Secretariat estimates total construction costs at 5.6 trillion won, including 667.6 billion won for land purchases and 2.67 trillion won for construction. Officials said delays continue to drive costs higher.

The presidential office has begun preparations this month to return to the Blue House in central Seoul. The Blue House previously served as the presidential office until the Yoon administration moved to the former Ministry of National Defense building in 2022.

The Blue House is seen in central Seoul on July 31. [NEWS1]

Data from the National Assembly Budget Office show that relocating the Ministry of National Defense back to Yongsan District, central Seoul will cost 23.8 billion won, including 13.3 billion won to set up secure communications and IT systems, 6.5 billion won for facility repairs and 4 billion won for logistics.

The Cabinet approved an additional 25.9 billion won for the presidential office’s return to the Blue House as a reserve fund on Dec. 6. Combined, the relocation of the Defense Ministry and the presidential office costs total 49.7 billion won.

Under the Yoon administration, the move of the presidential office to Yongsan District cost 83.2 billion won. The Yoon administration initially estimated the expense at 49.6 billion won, but costs rose due to additional spending related to relocating the Defense Ministry, remodeling the foreign minister’s official residence for use as the presidential residence and transferring police security units.

Taken together, the cost of relocating the presidential office to Yongsan District in 2022 and returning it to the Blue House now amounts to roughly 130 billion won in taxpayer money.

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.
BY KIM BANG-HYUN [[email protected]]