"Expansion and space have reached their limits" Inje County pushes to build new county office and county council building

[Financial News, Inje = Reporter Kim Gi-seop] The Inje County Office, now more than 45 years old, has been expanded three times but still lacks space, prompting the county to seek a solution by building a new office.
According to Inje County on the 30th, the county has decided to push ahead with construction of a new county office and county council building to address the aging building's safety issues, chronic office-space shortages, and growing administrative demand. The total project cost is 89.5 billion won, and basic and detailed design work is now under way.
The main building of the Inje County Office was completed in 1980 and has been in use for more than 45 years. To ease the space shortage, it underwent three expansions, including one vertical and two horizontal additions, but further expansion is structurally difficult. In particular, a 2021 detailed safety inspection rated the main building C, and the need for facility improvements has been raised repeatedly. The county said repeated expansions have created limits not only for office space but also for facility upgrades such as heating, cooling and electrical systems, making it no longer feasible to keep enlarging the existing building.
The space shortage has already become severe enough to require an outside office building. Because the existing building could not accommodate all departments, Inje County purchased the former KT&G Inje branch building in 2023, remodeled it, and now uses it as a second annex. However, as administrative functions in welfare, the economy and culture continue to grow, the main office and the second annex are no longer sufficient, forcing some departments to be relocated outside again.
Securing independent space for the county council is another reason a new building is needed. The Inje County Council currently shares the county office main building with the executive branch, with no separate facility of its own. If a new building is constructed, the county office and county council functions can be divided more efficiently, while also providing independent space for legislative work and for residents to use.
Taking all of these factors into account, Inje County says the project is not simply about constructing a new building, but about integrating dispersed administrative functions and creating a foundation to respond to changing administrative needs. The county plans to complete the design by December, break ground in the first half of 2027, and finish construction by the end of 2029.
"We have expanded the building repeatedly for more than 45 years, but there is no longer room to add space, and the shortage of office space is getting worse as the administrative organization grows," said Kang Hee-sook, head of autonomous administration for Inje County. "As this project will provide the foundation for safer and more efficient administrative services for residents, we will move it forward without setbacks."

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter