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Candidates pour in with pork-barrel relocation promises prior to election

Published: 29 Apr. 2026, 19:27

The Seokgwan-dong campus of the Korea National University of Arts. The university is one institution that that could be relocated. [JOONGANG ILBO]

With about a month to go before the June 3 local government elections, candidates are flooding the campaign trail with pork-barrel pledges and promises to relocate public institutions to their regions.

The wave of proposals comes even before President Lee Jae Myung’s administration has unveiled its plan for a second phase of public agency relocations, which is expected to be made public later this year.

The first phase of relocations moved 153 state agencies and public institutions out of the greater Seoul area between 2005 and 2019.

The mayoral race in the province of South Jeolla and the city of Gwangju — which are set to be merged into a single metropolitan government by July 1 — have already turned heated for the election.

Liberal Democratic Party (DP) Rep. Min Hyung-bae, along with fellow lawmaker Jeong Jun-ho, introduced a bill to move the state-run Korea National University of Arts to the South Jeolla region. The arts institute currently has two campuses in Seokgwan-dong, northern Seoul, and Seocho-dong, southern Seoul.

The currently separate local governments of South Jeolla and Gwangju have already asked the national government to move 40 institutions, including the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives.

Ballots for the upcoming June 3 local elections are shown during pre-election mock voting session held in Daejeon on April 28. [NEWS1]

While expectations rose after Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said in February that integrated local governments would receive “priority consideration” in relocation policies, the proposal to relocate the Korea National University of Arts is widely viewed with skepticism, not least by the institution itself.

The university on Tuesday issued a statement condemning the plan, warning that “a physical relocation without sufficient preparation would undermine the efficiency of an arts education system that has reached a world-class level.”

Park Sung-hoon, senior spokesperson for the opposition People Power Party (PPP) said on Wednesday that the “legislation proposed by the DP epitomizes election-driven populism obsessed solely with victory.”

Opinions are also divided within the DP.

DP Rep. Kim Nam-geun, whose electoral district includes the Seokgwan-dong campus, said the bill seems to have emerged “out of nowhere.” “World-class arts institutions in cities like New York and London have urban campuses,” Kim said, emphasizing that internationally renowned art institutes are often located in capital cities. “The school’s academic direction should be respected.”

Kim Boo-kyum, the Democratic Party's candidate in the Daegu mayoral race, speaks during an interview held in Daegu on April 29. [NEWS1]

Meanwhile in Daegu, the proposed relocations of the headquarters of the state-owned Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) and the Supreme Court to the city have become central campaign issues.

DP mayoral candidate Kim Boo-kyum said that “expectations are high among Daegu residents that IBK will come to the city, which is a home to 3,000 small and medium-sized enterprises” in an interview with cable channel TV Chosun on April 16.

Choo Kyung-ho, PPP’s candidate in the Daegu race, has also proposed relocating the bank's headquarters to the city.

However, the bank’s labor union has pushed back and is allegedly reviewing its response with a larger financial service sector labor union under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions.

Labor union members denounced such relocations as election-driven populism during a press conference in front of the Blue House in central Seoul on April 2.

Ryu Jang-hee, head of the IBK labor union, said that “unilaterally pushing forward with the provincial relocation even when they are aware of [potential] side effects is a clear breach of promises.”

Likewise, the Court Administration Office has also expressed indirect opposition to bills submitted by DP Reps. Kim Yong-min and Kwon Chil-seung to relocate the Supreme Court to Daegu.

The office said the issue "requires careful balancing between accessibility and regional development.”

Incumbent Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon declares his bid for reelection in Busan on April 27. [YONHAP]

Sitting governors and mayors eyeing reelection have also joined the relocation fervor.

South Chungcheong Gov. Kim Tae-heum is pursuing the relocation of 13 mid- to large-sized state institutions to his province, while North Gyeongsang Gov. Lee Cheol-Woo is targeting 43 institutions that are linked to the agencies that were subject to the first phase of relocations.

In Busan, conservative Mayor Park Heong-joon has renewed his push to bring the Korea Development Bank to the city.

“Relocating the Korea Development Bank has been Busan’s most important mission for over a decade,” Park said on BBS Radio on Monday. “The DP-backed government is not cooperating with this. Since the second phase of public institution relocation remains, we must keep pressing.”

However, experts warn that lobbying by candidates for the relocation of state institutions to their regions is premature given that the government has yet to unveil its plan.

“These are matters that require coordination between the state government and local authorities,” said Lee Sun-woo, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Jeonbuk National University. “Failure to secure these projects could deteriorate public trust in local politics.”

Moon Yoon-sang, a research fellow at the Korea Development Institute, further argued that “relocating related institutions in clusters — as President Lee mentioned — is more effective than dispersing them in various areas in accordance with political interests.”

“Successful relocation requires alignment with regional industries, infrastructure and careful coordination with labor unions and stakeholders to minimize conflict and social costs,” Moon said.

BY YU SUNG-KUK AND YANG SU-MIN [[email protected]]