Which of the 350 Public Institutions Will Move First in the Second Relocation Drive?

[Financial News] The government has set a goal of drawing up a second plan for relocating public institutions to the provinces within this year and beginning the relocation of leading institutions from 2027 by using leased office buildings and other facilities. Attention is now focused on which institutions will be moved and when the plan will be announced. Clustered placement linked to regional industries, labor-management consultations and revisions to related laws have also emerged as major issues.
According to government ministries and other sources on the 24th, the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family are being mentioned as candidates for relocation from the central government. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) is in charge of relocating central government agencies, while the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is overseeing the second relocation of public institutions. The relocation plan for central government agencies is expected to be submitted to the State Council of South Korea on the 25th.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, however, denied recent reports that the second public institution relocation plan would be unveiled on the 25th. Although more than 350 public institutions in the Seoul metropolitan area have been mentioned as possible targets, the ministry said no specific institutions or announcement date have been decided.
The government plans to finalize the target institutions and relocation regions after public consultations involving relevant ministries, labor-management talks and input from local governments, followed by a review by the Presidential Committee for the Era of Local Autonomy.
In the first relocation phase, 153 public institutions based in the Seoul metropolitan area moved to Innovation Cities and other regions nationwide. For the second phase, rather than dividing institutions by region, the government is considering a concentrated, clustered approach that links related institutions, universities, research institutes and companies around existing Innovation Cities and key regional industries.
Local governments have also begun competing to attract institutions. Busan is seeking to bring in institutions centered on finance, maritime affairs, advanced industries and research and development. The labor unions of the Financial Supervisory Service and KDIC, both named as possible relocation candidates, held a joint press conference in front of Cheong Wa Dae on the day and urged the government to reconsider the move to the provinces. Revising laws that require some institutions to keep their headquarters in Seoul, securing land to accommodate relocating institutions, and improving living conditions such as housing and education are also seen as challenges that must be resolved.
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